Angels of the Moment
by Onileo
Summary: HidaSaku, KakuIno, ItaTen, KisaHina. A collection of one shots dedicated to various holidays. Starts with April Fool's Day. Rated for Hidan and adult themes.
1. April Fool's Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: Okay, so here is how this works. This is going to be a collection of one shots based on the holidays throughout the year. I'll try to update it as close to the next holiday as possible. I'm using my couples from Tales From A Linen Closet, and for most of them, they will be at some random Akatsuki base. (Enter crack warning here) I'll make a list of the holidays I'm using on my profile, and if you want me to add one not on there, pm me. They'll be fairly short and impromptu, so forgive any mistakes you might find. And now, without further ado...

Loki's Angels

Kakuzu walked into his office, tea in one hand, a stack of papers in the other. Shutting the door behind him, he lifted a free finger and lowered the linen mask over his face. He absently scratched at the corner of one of his stitches as a small smile kept threatening to break out on his face. He was in a rare good mood this morning, and he had to keep telling himself that it had nothing to do with the blonde kunoichi that had wormed her way into his life and everything to do with the fact that today was the first of the month and time to reconcile the books. It always gave him a sense of satisfaction to know that the Akatsuki's finances were exceptionally good, and it was all because of his careful planning and execution.

Walking over to his desk, he set everything down before sliding into his chair. Holding out one arm, he released his stitches. The black threads curled behind him, stretching until they reached the window. He slid it open several inches, letting the cool spring air circulate as the sound of the pounding rain drifted in to break the silence. He took a sip of tea as he slid the top drawer open and retrieved his ledger. Opening it to the first page, he began adding up this month's wages, reminding himself to add in the extra incentive for Deidara who completed his last mission without causing excessive collateral damage.

He was halfway through when he noticed that something was off. Marking where he had stopped with a pencil, he went back up and took a closer look at the numbers. What the hell? He double checked again, even as a vein began popping out on his forehead. Every single person on the list had gotten a huge raise. Except him. His blood pressure rose and his grip on the pencil tightened. Who had authorized this? Pein-sama? Why wasn't he told? Did they not realize what that kind of expenditure would do to the rest of the budget? As soon as he was finished, he was going straight to Pein and ask him what was going on.

Reminding himself to calm down, he moved on to the next section, expenses. Grabbing the stack of receipts he brought with him, he began adding in this week's numbers. It only took a few minutes and then he moved to the top and began adding it up. Three items down and he stopped again. Surely they had spent more on groceries than that. The number staring back at him was only a quarter of what was usually used. Had Ino gone and put everyone on a diet? Then he noticed the next number. An insanely large amount distributed for...the building of a rescue center to save an endangered strain of bamboo. His pencil snapped in his hand as he felt his good mood evaporate into rage. Someone was fucking with him.

Skimming the rest of the pages, he picked out the discrepancies. Money given to Hidan for "religious purposes", a bulk order of clay large enough to last Deidara ten years, no money alloted to weapons maintenance or bribing their contacts in other countries. He had to look twice to make sure he was really seeing what he was seeing. Authorization for a heated indoor swimming pool to be put next to an aquatic sanctuary? Flipping to the last page, he looked at the bottom where the final sum was to be placed. In bright red lipstick was the imprint of a familiar set of lips along with a note in her flawless handwriting.

_I made a few changes, I hope you don't mind. This place needed some improvements anyway._

_ ~Ino _

Jumping to his feet, Kakuzu slammed his hands on the desk, the resounding smack echoing off the walls. How could she? Did she not realized how important this was to him? How hard he worked to keep the organization's head above water? It was a blatant betrayal of everything he held sacred. He had to talk to her. Find out what in the world she was thinking. And if was anyone but her, he would have strangled them to death on the spot. Storming out of the room, he slammed the door and stalked down the hallway, the murderous aura coming off of him giving everyone around him plenty of warning to stay away.

_xxxxxxxxxxxx_

_ Meanwhile..._

Itachi turned the water off and stepped out of the still steaming shower. Grabbing a towel, he squeezed the excess water from his hair before drying himself off and dressing. Stepping over to the mirror, he pulled his hair into a low ponytail as he absently glanced at his reflection. He was pleased to see that the bags under his eyes had lessened greatly and the stress marks on either side of his cheeks were less pronounced. His pale skin had a deeper coloring and only a slight pulse behind his eyes reminded him of the devastating headaches that had plagued him mere months before.

It was all thanks to Tenten. After she had convinced him that his 'stubborn Uchiha pride' was the only thing standing between him and relief, he had allowed her to aid him. After several sessions of massage therapy and rounds of experimental health drinks, his headaches had started to dissipate. There was still some minor pain, but it only bothered him when he had to use his Sharingan in battle. And the fact that he was finally able to sleep at night didn't hurt either.

Softly turning the doorknob so as not to wake her, Itachi stepped into the bedroom. He was surprised to find that the bed was already empty, the blanket crumpled in the floor at the foot. Sitting on the bare sheet was Tenten's pack, the flap hanging open, and the inside half stuffed with clothes. Her sandals were sitting on the floor below it and the cloak she wore for traveling hanging on the bedpost. There were several of her personal items hastily strewn on the dresser. Did she have a last minute mission to go on today? She hadn't mentioned it last night and it was still too early for Pein to be attending to business. Perusing the items on the dresser, his eyes landed on a small leather bound book lying beside her hairbrush.

Curious as to why she would take her journal with her, he walked over and picked it up. He wasn't a nosy person by nature, preferring to allow others their privacy because he valued his. But this puzzle was too much. Where was she going in such a hurry, and where was she now? Retrieving foodstuffs from the kitchen? Did she have to leave before breakfast? Flipping to the last page, he started reading her hastily scrawled entry. The date was for today, and it looked half finished.

_I just can't stand it anymore. If I don't get some sleep soon, I swear I'm gonna kill someone. __The snoring is just atrocious, it sounds just like squeaking bees. And the way his mouth hangs open reminds me of this dead monkey I saw once. It's just terrible. And it's every single night. That's why I'm leaving. I know Pein will probably send someone after me, but I don't care. I have to get away before I go mad. I just can't..._

Itachi's spine stiffened as he closed the book and replaced it on the dresser. She was leaving. Not because of a mission, but because he snored. And she thought he looked like a dead monkey. Confusion and anger wound its way into his mind even as he tried to block it out. How could she just throw it all away, and for something so trivial? And if he did snore, why hadn't she mentioned it before? Surely between the two of them, they could come up with some way to stop it. She didn't have to run from him. Ignoring the fact that he was more upset that she was leaving than the fact that she had insulted him, he strode out of the room, closing the door harder than he intended to before hurrying off in the direction of the kitchen. Kakuzu was just ahead of him in the hallway, and judging from the way he was walking, someone had hell to pay.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

_Meanwhile..._

"11"

"12"

"13"

"14"

Kisame used one massive arm to lower himself to the ground without actually touching it. Lifting himself back up, he switched sides and started counting all over again. One more set of push ups and he could start running laps around the training room. Then he would be ready for his sparring session with Deidara. Lucky bastard. Being a long ranged shinobi, the blonde didn't have to work as hard to keep his body in shape. But to wield the massive weight of Samehada, Kisame had to make sure he didn't lose an ounce of strength. Not that he could complain much. There was a lot of advantages to being a towering wall of muscle. For one thing, people took one look at you and decided not to mess with you.

Hinata had no complaints either. In fact, he loved it when he caught her staring at him while he was getting dressed in the mornings. Her eyes would gleam with want for just a second, then her cheeks would pinken as if she were embarrassed by her own thoughts. Then when she'd notice that he had seen her, her face would turn a full blown red and she would drop her gaze to the ground. Every time it happened, he wanted to scoop her up and make her forget her bashfulness. Pursue her until her innocent demeanor was forgotten and she was demanding satisfaction from him. Yeah, the girl really knew how to build a man's ego. With her around, life was good and woe unto the one who interfered with that.

A cool breeze across his back signaled the opening of the door, and Kisame jumped to his feet and turned around in time to see Deidara coming into the room, Hinata right behind him. The Stone shinobi had a smug grin plastered on his face, but Hinata looked half terrified of something. Immediately concerned, Kisame walked over to them. If that little brat did anything to her, his training session would get a whole lot rougher. In fact, he just might not make it out alive. Stepping in between them, Kisame straightened, forcing Deidara away from them with a meaningful glare. Giving him a knowing nod, Deidara walked away, his hands absently molding a ball of clay in his pouch. Turning back to Hinata, he laid a hand on her shoulder, making her jump. "Hinata, what's wrong."

She gave him a little smile. "N-nothing. I just...um...I needed to give you s-some...warning."

His grip tightened slightly. "Warning? About what?"

"W-well. I was in town the other day...and...um...I heard that my c-clan's compound had burned d-down in some kind of...accident. I was worried, so I sent my father a message." she said, her face turning a light shade of pink.

"...what?"

Twiddling her fingers, she let her eyes roam the room as she tried to avoid looking at him. Her face continued to darken by the second. "H-he said everyone was alright, but now they have no place to go. I t-told them that we had plenty of r-rooms here that they could stay in."

Kisame's hand automatically clenched, causing Hinata to squeak. Letting her go so he didn't hurt her, the Mist ninja tried to keep control of the sudden surge of apprehension that tore through him. Her whole clan. Coming here. Living with them. That pompous old bastard Hiashi looking down his nose at him as he gave him orders. Her arrogant cousin constantly looking for revenge over the battle that he nearly drowned his entire team in. No, this can't happen. No, no, no.

"Hinata, what are you thinking? Besides the fact that you gave away our location to an enemy village, Pein will kill all of them when they get here. After he kills us. You have to send them another message. Tell them to go somewhere else."

"I c-can't. They'll be here this afternoon!" she burst out before turning and running back out the door and down the hallway.

Genuine panic threatened to set in as he started to take off after her. A blur of movement stopped his progress as Deidara landed in front of him, kunai drawn. His grin was as big as ever. "In-laws coming? Sucks to be you, yeah."

Kisame's eyes narrowed at the obvious attempt to stall him. "Deidara, move." he ordered.

Absently twirling his blade, the blonde made no attempt to comply. "You forget, Kisame-san. We have a date." he said, the fingers of his free hand dipping back into his clay pouch as his eyes lit up in anticipation.

Releasing a feral growl, Kisame fisted his hands as he drew back to punch Deidara. "Don't say you didn't ask for it!"

xxxxxxxxxxxx

_ ...you get the idea..._

Hidan awoke with a start as the door to his bedroom shut with a loud click. Damn, did Sakura always have to be so loud in the morning? Yawning, he cracked an eyelid open and looked around. It was then that he realized that his arms were over his head, and the sheet had been drawn down over his bare torso, allowing the cool air in the room to wash over his skin. He started to reach down and pull it back up so he could go back to sleep when he realized that his arm wouldn't move. Glancing upward, he was surprised to find that both of his arms were tied to the headboard with short sections of thin rope.

...Okay. Last night had been fun, but he definitely didn't remember this part of it. Testing the strength of the rope, he found that they were light, and gave easily. Flexing his arm muscles, he yanked hard, and they snapped almost instantly. Smirking he sat up and ran a hand through his silver hair, slicking it back. That was when a metallic gleam on the bed caught his attention. He looked down to find Sakura's stethoscope lying on the mattress beside him. What the hell?

Thoroughly confused now, Hidan slid out of bed, striding over to the dresser to grab a pair of pants. He had just pulled them on when he noticed the other changes in the room. The chair from the desk was pulled up to the foot of the bed on his side, Sakura's lab coat slung over the back of it. On the desk itself lay a clipboard and pen. With a frown, he walked over to it and picked up the clipboard. As he started reading, his eyes widened.

_Subject: Hidan_

_ Actual Age: Unknown; Adjusted Age: 22_

_ Height: 177.1 cm._

_ Weight: 56.8 kg._

_ Blood Type: B_

"What the fuck is this?" he asked the empty room as he kept reading.

_Notes: Initial testing of the subject has revealed mixed results. Next step to strengthen the formula and move the injection site to the lower pelvic region. Some concern about muscular atrophy and testicular shrinkage as possible side effects. Irreversible damage to..._

Hidan stopped reading as his brain caught up with his eyes and his jaw dropped open. After a moment of silence, his violet eyes hardened. "What the _FUCK_ is this! Sakura!"

Dropping the clipboard on the desk, he marched out of the room, muttering aloud as his heavy footsteps accentuated each word. "...a test subject...a fucking test subject...What is she thinking, pumping me full of shit and not even telling me about it?...testicular shrinkage...what the hell?"

His rant was interrupted when he realized just how crowded the hallway had become in a matter of seconds. Kisame just burst out of the training room, practically jumping in front of him, passing up Itachi and Kakuzu as he ran into the kitchen. Deidara followed him out, holding a very purple and swollen eye. Kakuzu stomped into the kitchen behind Kisame, and if he knew his partner, someone was going to die today. Thank Jashin it wasn't him this time. Itachi strode into the room as well, oozing discontent from his usually passive aura. And unfortunately, the kitchen was where Sakura's chakra signature was, along with the other kunoichi.

"Just fucking great, now we're having a damn tea party. Cock-sucking heathens. Anytime you want some privacy, they come out of the fucking woodwork."

As soon as he walked into the room behind the other shinobi, he stopped. Sakura was sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast in her pajamas. Hinata was between her and Ino, red faced and looking very out of breath. Ino's face was red as well, and an occasional giggle would slip out as she leafed through a book that looked suspiciously like Kakuzu's ledger. Tenten was eating breakfast in her pajama's as well, dark hair down and leaning back in her chair. She glanced up at them as they stopped, and gave them a genuine smile.

"Something wrong, guys?"

Said guys just stood there, arms crossed over their chests, a mixture of bewilderment, anger and confusion on their faces. Hidan opened his mouth to ask what the hell was going on when the words died in his throat. Tobi, who had evidently been standing behind the door, jumped out and stretched his arms as wide as they would go as he exclaimed "APRIL FOOLS!" before collapsing in laughter on the floor. The girls followed suit, giggling until the room rang with their amusement.

In the doorway, silence reigned. No one moved for several movements as understanding began to sink in simultaneously. Then, one by one, they uncrossed their arms. Kakuzu, his face as serious as stone, but no longer lethal, walked over to the table and held out his hand. Ino, still laughing, gave him the correct ledger and watched as he silently walked back out the door, shaking his head. Kisame looked relieved as he walked behind Hinata's chair to wrap his massive arms around her shoulders. Leaning down, he laughed into her neck. "You're really trying to kill me, aren't you? Next time, just put a kunai in my heart. It'll be less painful. For Deidara anyway."

"Yeah, you have no idea how hard he can punch, un." Deidara said from the refrigerator, pulling an ice pack out and gingerly placing it over his eye.

"I'm s-sorry...Kisame." she managed to get out between giggles. "Deidara agreed... to h-help, but it w-was Tobi's idea."

Holding up his hands, Tobi defended himself. "The girls wanted to do it! Tobi can't help it if he loves a joke!"

Still standing in the doorway, Itachi stared at Tenten. She met his gaze and gave him a reassuring look. He turned to walk back out of the room, his face as impassive as ever if you missed the slight upward pull of his lips. Hidan, who was never subtle, lifted a hand and pointed at Sakura.

"Woman, you have a sick, twisted imagination! I can't believe what you wrote about me! Testicular shrinkage...what the fuck!"

Ino and Sakura burst out in fresh peals of laughter. Frowning, Hidan stalked over to the table, pulled Sakura's chair out and lifted her up in one swift motion. Seconds later she was slung over his shoulder, still laughing as he stalked out of the room with her. "Laugh it up, bitch. I'll give you an experiment to work on that you'll never forget." he threatened playfully as he disappeared around the corner.

Tobi, who had managed to regain his feet by this time, looked at his partner, then at the remaining kunoichi. "That was fun! Tobi wants to do it again!"

"No!" Deidara and Kisame shouted as the girls started nodding their heads, mischievous gleams appearing in their eyes. Maybe not today, but next year...

The End


	2. Easter

Angels and Bunnies

The warm sun shone brightly down, a rare occurrence in the Village Hidden in the Rain. From the corner of a side street, four black cloaked shinobi scanned what appeared to be a rather normal-looking marketplace. Occasionally, they would shift their positions, with an accented sigh or grumble. Conversation had waned long ago, and now they just stood there waiting. Kisame glanced over at his stoic partner. From the look on his face, if the girls weren't back soon, even the unwavering Uchiha would snap a valve.

At last the four kunoichi came in sight, strolling down the street, each one carrying bundles of varying size and shape. Their black cloaks with bright red clouds stood out starkly against the more muted tones of the people around them. But even as they garnered attention, the villagers did not look the least bit alarmed by their presence. They gave them a respectful berth, with the occasional bow coming from the stall vendors, but no one scurried from their path. It was a refreshing change, to be respected but not feared. It was why Kisame had even agreed to this outing.

Finally the four girls reached them, and the shark ninja straightened and stretched, towering over the others before walking up to Hinata. She had a light blush on her face, and in her arms was something small, white and furry. He could tell it was alive, but from the way she had it tucked into her cloak, he wasn't quite sure what it was. After the men took the larger packages and the group split into pairs, they headed back towards the base, taking their time. Hinata was being quieter than normal, and Kisame couldn't help but keep glancing down at her and the mystery creature held lightly in the crook of her elbow.

His curiosity eventually got the better of him, and pulling Hinata to a stop, questioned her. "What are you holding, Hinata?"

Her blush deepened automatically, and she started to fidget, a sure sign that she was nervous. "Umm... well, there was this vendor that normally isn't there, and since it's Easter, I couldn't resist." she said as she adjusted the creature until it's head was facing outward, long pink and white ears vibrating lightly with its breathing.

Kisame crouched down to get a better look at it. It was a baby rabbit, completely white with black whiskers and a little pink nose that flared as it took in the smells around it. Beady black eyes stared up at him trustingly, completely at ease. It was cute and innocent enough, but there was just something about the way it looked at him that set him on edge. Like it knew that even though it was small and practically delicate, the larger creatures around it were more helpless, unable to harm it if they wanted to. It was a thing not to be trusted. Straightening back up, Kisame turned and started walking again.

"You bought a rabbit. Can I kill it?"

"Kisame!" she cried out, flustered at the sudden question. "No you c-can't kill it. It's j-just a bunny."

The shark ninja sighed. It was a long shot, but he tried anyway. He glanced back down to find the creature still staring at him with those unnaturally sweet eyes. Guess the rabbit was right after all. "Fine, but where are you going to keep it?"

"Umm...I was going to put it in a cage in Zetsu's garden."

"You know he'll probably try to eat it, right?"

Hinata's eyes widened in horror at the thought. "We can't keep it in our room. Where should we put it?"

"In a crock pot."

Forgetting her shyness, Hinata glared at him. "B-be serious."

"I was, not that you'll let me anyway. Look, why don't you build a cage next to the northern training grounds. We rarely use it, and it's well protected." He looked over to find her stroking the top of the rabbit's head, making its ears droop with each pass. Soon it had snuggled down into her cloak, eyes closing as it fell asleep. His resolve to dislike the thing slowly dissipated. If Hinata liked it that much, what could he do? "I'll even help you." he added.

"But that's so f-far away. W-what if it gets out?"

"There's only one thing to do about a missing ninja rabbit. We'll have Pein-sama add its picture to the Bingo Books, put out a reward, and every hunter-nin in the country will be here to help you look for it."

The amused smile she gave him turned his heart over, and suddenly the thought of putting up with the disconcerting creature...bunny... in her arms wasn't so bad.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

The minute Kakuzu was handed the receipts for the kunoichi's shopping trip, he saw red. They had spent three times as much as he allotted to them, and half the items weren't even for their Easter dinner. And they didn't even seem to care. Ino walked happily along beside him, oblivious to his sour mood. Instead, her attention was turned to a flat of plants she balanced between her hands, walking carefully so as not to jar them. The bright yellow bells of the flower heads bobbed anyway, swaying from the weight on the stems. She even talked to them, absently going on about which flower bed they were going to go in and what kind of fertilizer she was going to use.

"I hope those are edible." he groused, "because I don't remember _plants_ being part of buying food for dinner."

Ino rolled her eyes. She knew this was coming. Kakuzu was always in a bad mood when he had to spend money on something. Luckily, she knew just how to turn his mood around and make him forget all about being stingy. "These _plants_ just so happen to be Easter Lilies. You just can't have Easter without them."

Kakuzu didn't know much about plants, other than what he had learned about surviving when other food wasn't available, but he certainly knew a lily when he saw one, and that cheery yellow waste of money wasn't. Ino of all people should know that. "Those are daffodils." he stated.

Ino grinned at him, unflustered by his observation. "On any other day, I would agree. But today, they are Easter Lilies."

"Why would you want to change something's name for one day?"

"Money is cash is liquid asset, am I right?" she asked. Kakuzu glanced at her sideways. He actually looked a little interested, now that she had turned the conversation in his direction. Just a little more, and he would be putty in her hands.

"Yes. What's your point?"

"Even though it's the same thing, you change the name to suit the situation. That's why they're Easter Lilies."

"That still doesn't answer the question of why you wanted to waste money on them. I thought you were going to buy a ham."

"What do you think you are carrying? Besides," she said, giving him a winning smile. "they're not for me, they're for you. You need them."

"Why would I need Easter Lilies?" he asked, even as his face started subtly softening. She was always trying to find ways to make him happy, as if he needed anything more than her. It seemed her goal in life to turn him into some madly-grinning, frolicking-through-the-tulips pansy.

"Because, _Sunshine, _they are yellow, and yellow flowers lift your mood and make you happier!" she exclaimed, tossing her long hair as her voice rose to almost a squeal.

"Woman, you are insane." he said, his voice not betraying the slight lift of his mouth beneath his mask. Receipts forgotten, he watched as she made a kissy face at him and triumphantly bounced ahead, all the while taking care not to disturb the flat of Easter Lilies.

Damn, she was good.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'm sorry we were so late. You know how Ino and Sakura are when they get together." Tenten apologized as she walked sedately beside Itachi.

"Hn." he replied.

Assuming that he had accepted her excuses, Tenten turned her attention to the street in front of them. The couple fell into a comfortable silence then, listening to the arguments and conversations going on around them as they made it back to the base. Itachi shifted his packages to the other side, and that was when he noticed the small brown bag Tenten had opened in her hand. She would pull something small and yellow out, and quickly plop it in her mouth. Then she would chew slowly, a slight smile on her lips. The telltale lowering of her eyelids let him know that what she was eating was something she enjoyed very, very much.

His curiosity was piqued, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her what she was eating. Fortunately, she noticed his discreet glances, and guessed what he wanted. Scooting closer, she held the bag out to him. Sliding his hand inside, he pulled out one of the things and looked at it. It appeared to be a marshmallow, covered in sugar crystals dyed yellow. There were two small candy eyes on it as well as a candy beak. The whole thing looked like a misshapen chick. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's a Peep."

He frowned as he examined it again. Then he held out his hand to return it to her. She didn't take it, and instead, pushed his hand back. "Try it, it's good." she encouraged.

"It's...disturbing." he said quietly, offering her the confection again.

Giving him a puzzled look, Tenten accepted it and turned it over in her hand. "What's wrong with it?"

"You're eating candy shaped like baby chickens. That doesn't bother you?"

Tenten put the marshmallow in her mouth and kept walking. It seemed that she wasn't going to answer him, so Itachi turned his gaze to the pedestrians on the other side of the street. If his reflexes had been a little slower, he would have ran right into her. She had suddenly stepped in front of him and turned to face him. Coming to a halt, he gave her a questioning look. With a mischievous grin, she stepped closer and raised her hand. She had another one of the Peeps in her grasp, and she put it right up to his lips. "You don't know what you're missing." she said.

Several people around them had stopped to watch them curiously. His frown deepened. She knew exactly how to get him, knowing he wouldn't refuse and make a scene in public. Reluctantly, he parted his lips and let her feed him. Having gotten her way, Tenten moved out of his path and fell into step beside him when he started forward again. Her grin widening, she dug another marshmallow out of the bag and ate it, watching his reaction out of the corner of her eye.

Itachi's eyes widened as the sugar on the outside melted, flooding his mouth with sweetness. He swallowed and started chewing the springier marshmallow beneath. It was good. No wonder Tenten was eating them as fast as she could without outright devouring them. The Peep was gone moments later, and Itachi looked over to find Tenten smirking at him. Refusing to give her the satisfaction of being right, he stared straight ahead, concentrating on the surface of the walls of the base as it came into sight.

It didn't last long. Soon he found his eyes straying over to where she was quietly walking beside him. Ino had squealed from behind them, and she was glancing over her shoulder to see what was going on. Satisfied that it was nothing important, she turned her head back and caught him watching her. He expected her to say something to her, but instead, she turned her eyes forward again. She was obviously waiting on him to cave and ask her for another one. Well, that wasn't going to happen. Determined, he straightened and walked on.

That didn't last long either. His eyes were soon wandering of their own accord to the bag in her hands. Surprisingly, she had moved closer to him again, and was holding it out, waiting for him to reach in and get another one. Silently, he accepted her offer, and stuck his hand in the bag. At first he thought it was empty, his seeking fingers finding only the loose sugar at the bottom. Then they closed around the lone Peep in the corner and he lifted it out. Tenten gave him a knowing look as he put it in his mouth and started chewing.

"You're eating candy shaped liked baby chickens, Itachi. That doesn't bother you?"

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Okay, there was definitely something wrong with Hidan. They were nearly back to the base now, and the whole way, he hadn't complained about one single thing. Not about how late they were, or about having to carry the most amount of packages, or the 'fucking heathens' milling about on the sidewalk. He had not said one single word. She was beginning to wonder if he hadn't substituted a clone to take his place, or maybe she was stuck in a genjutsu. But no, the steady, familiar chakra signature beside her disproved all of Sakura's theories. So what was the matter with him?

It ate at her, and ate at her until finally, she thought she would explode if he didn't do something soon. She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. "Hidan?"

"Hmm?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, irritation at her question showing. "There isn't a fucking thing wrong with me."

Well, Hidan was still Hidan. But he seemed to be in such a good mood that it genuinely disturbed her. But she couldn't tell him that. The argument of the century would ensue, and Easter would be ruined for everyone. "Nothing. Never mind." she said. Then, with a small smile, she changed the subject. "Are you still going to help me make the chocolate eggs?"

It was when his eyes lit up in anticipation and he readily agreed that the answer hit her. One of the reasons that they came shopping with everyone else was because last night Hidan had found the chocolate that she was saving for the candy, and had eaten most of it. And now it seems that even the mighty Jashinist fell before the power of a woman's best friend. He hadn't bothered anyone all day, and even Kakuzu found him less irritating than usual. A malicious gleam came to her eyes. Well, now she knew what to do when he started getting out of hand. She would have to remember to keep a supply of it around at all times.

Her plotting was interrupted by the front door of the base. Handing Hidan her packages, she formed the seals and pulled the door open. They all filed in and down the hallway to the kitchen. There, Sakura found a surprise even bigger than Hidan's chocolate sedation. Sitting at the table, with dye, paints, brushes and rags all around them, were Sasori and Deidara. They were both hunched forward, deep in concentration over an egg. Tobi sat across from them, watching the process in fascination.

And it was no wonder. Evidently the two artists took their egg decorating seriously, each one laid out on the table more intricate and beautiful than the last. Sasori's were highly detailed, in muted tones with silver glitter laced in. Deidara's were much brighter, with random splashes of color and various types of glitter splattered across them. And the most surprising thing? Neither one was arguing about which one was better. A virtual miracle.

When Hidan walked in and saw it, he frowned. "You two painting pussies are gonna have to take that elsewhere. We need the table. And what are you coloring eggs for anyway?"

Deidara just smiled. It was Sasori that answered him, gesturing to Tobi with the tip of his paintbrush. "Tobi wanted to hunt Easter eggs. We explained to the whelp that it was something only children do, but he insisted."

"And you just fucking agreed to it?" Hidan asked in disbelief.

"Sure, it'll be a blast." Deidara said without looking up.

Ino walked over to the table and admired their work. "How close are you to being done. Hidan's right, we need the table."

"We're on our last ones now, yeah." Deidara answered.

While they were finishing up, Sakura and Tenten put away their groceries and started getting the ham ready to bake. Ino took her flowers back outside to plant, and Hinata drug Kisame off to get started on the rabbit's cage. Sakura pulled the refrigerator door open and frowned. Turning back around, she was just in time to see Tobi and Sasori filing out the door, Deidara close behind. "Hey, Deidara-san, just a second." she called out.

"Yeah?"

"We used the last of the eggs this morning for breakfast. How did you get some more to decorate before we could get back from the market?"

Deidara lifted one of the eggs out of the basket to show her that they were larger than normal sized eggs. "These are not chicken eggs, yeah. Tobi wouldn't have as much fun with regular eggs anyway."

"Then what kind of eggs are they?"

The blonde just smirked at her before disappearing out the doorway.

"They're clay eggs."


	3. Earth Day

Angels Au Naturale

Zetsu stood in what appeared to be a dense patch of undergrowth. An air of satisfaction surrounded him as he surveyed his handiwork. It was impossible to tell that just a few feet away was the entrance to one of their bases. It just looked like an ordinary mass of boulders, ivy, and moss. Turning around, his mismatched eyes roamed the surrounding forest.

He was glad they had made a temporary move to Waterfall Country. While Pein and Konan stayed behind to find out who sold the Akatsuki to Hidden Stone, he could enjoy the peace and quiet of the woods. No stinking, noisy city with too many people and too little space. No pounding rain that kept growth beat back to a minimum. Just the restful quiet of the trees, broken only by the song of their inhabitants or the occasional rustle of dead leaves as a sylvan creature carried on with its life. He could honestly say that he could stay here forever and be content.

Zetsu's shoulders had just started to droop in relaxation when a crow took flight several yards away, his displeasure echoing off the trees. Instantly alert, the plant ninja sunk into the ground, re-emerging a few feet away, camouflaged to an oak tree. Someone was coming. He waited in silence until two figures came into view. It was Kisame and Hinata. Zetsu relaxed, but didn't reveal himself. He just didn't feel like being bothered at the moment. So he watched quietly as they passed by him and stopped in front of the base entrance. Kisame performed the customary seals to lower the wards and Hinata entered first, leaning on an ivy-covered boulder to balance as she stepped over a branch.

After they were safely inside, Zetsu reappeared, a slight frown on his face. He then turned and made his way deeper into the forest, muttering under his breath. "_This is going to be all your fault_."

"**You should have told them not to touch the ivy.**"

"_Too late now. Besides, they should already know such things. It's not my fault they're careless._"

"**You just said it **_**was**_** our fault**."

"_Shut up_."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jashin fucking damn it! Where are they?"

Hidan paused mid-step in the hallway at the familiar curse that wasn't coming out of his mouth. What the hell was going on? A muffled thud led his gaze to the temporary medic room where another curse sounded through the closed door.

His curiosity nearly eating him alive, Hidan walked over and opened the door to see what had Sakura so riled up. She rarely swore, and this was the first time he had ever heard her use Jashin-sama's name in vain. He found her on her hands and knees in the corner, trying to peer under a cabinet and rub her head at the same time. In this position he had a marvelous view of her ass, which he respectfully admired until she swung her head up and glared at him.

"Hidan! Shut the door, damn it, or they'll get out!"

Doing as he was asked without complaint, Hidan shut the door before walking over to where Sakura was now sitting in the floor. He had learned long ago not to irritate her when she was in this kind of mood. Not that he was afraid of her, but getting punched through the wall wasn't on his list of things to do today. She was still rubbing her head, so he crouched down and lowered her hand to examine it. A bright pink spot glared up at him, but there was little swelling and no blood. He returned his attention to her face, only to find her jade eyes still searching along the floor.

"Sakura, what the hell are you looking for?"

"The ants I brought from Fire Country. I had them sitting on the table in a jar, ready to go in their new home. I left the room to grab a drink and when I came back the jar was knocked over and they were gone!" she exclaimed, her voice rising with her emotion.

"Ants? Why in Hell's creation are you hauling around ants?"

"Because," she accentuated with a glare "these ants produce a chemical in their saliva that I can use to increase the potency of poisons."

"Can't you get more ants?"

"I could, but that's not the point. There was a queen with the ants, and if we just leave them alone, in a month the whole base will be crawling with fire ants. And if anyone's allergic to the chemical and gets bitten, it could be dangerous."

"How dangerous?" he asked, a sudden gleam in his eyes.

"Deadly, if the reaction is severe enough."

"Are you allergic?"

"No, but the couple of times I've been bitten weren't fun. These suckers leave nasty welts."

"Good. Since they can't kill me and you're not allergic, I say let the fuckers take the place. They can kill the rest of these bloody heathens off and then we can do whatever we fucking please."

"Be serious."

"I am."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Just help me look for them."

"Fine, fine."

Hidan had nearly turned to check under a desk when Sakura bit her lip and tears sprang to her eyes. Then they widened and she pointed to the floor near her sandal. "Get the jar." she said in a pained whisper.

As Hidan stood and went to the table, Sakura leaned forward and gingerly picked the queen ant off the floor. She climbed to her feet, hissing in pain as she did so. As soon as the queen was safely back in the jar, Sakura grabbed the hem of her shirt and yanked upward, nearly jumping up and down as she did so. Hidan's eyes widened as she stripped right in front of him and tossed her clothes across the room. Then she turned around and he swore aloud. Over a dozen little red ants were clinging to her back and legs, mandibles dug into her flesh.

"Get them off!" she pleaded. Hidan started to brush them off of her and step on the tiny bastards when she held a hand up. "Wait! Don't kill them, Hidan. Gently pull them off and put them in the jar."

"You're fucking nuts, woman." he said. But he did as she asked, removing the creatures one by one and dropping them in the jar with their matriarch. He had to admit, he found the process fascinating in a twisted way. Every time he would get one to let go, she would twitch and squeak. Then one of the larger ones distracted him by taking a hunk out of his thumb. That one didn't make it to the jar.

At last the ants were off of her, and Hidan ran a hand down her bite-riddled back. She gasped but arched into his hand, using the counter pressure to ease the stinging. Gathering her chakra, Sakura turned it inward, pushing the ant's venom out and reducing the swelling. As it began to heal, her back started to itch unbearably. She squirmed until she couldn't stand it any longer.

"Oh, Kami! Hidan, scratch. Please!"

With a smirk, Hidan ran a single finger down her spine, laughing when her muscles tensed under her touch. Turning her head to glare at him over her shoulder, Sakura's voice went murderous. "Harder, you bastard!"

Even as the words were slipping out, the door to the room opened and Itachi walked in. When he took in the scene before him, all the color drained from his face and he quickly averted his eyes. Sakura flushed scarlet and did her best to cover herself as she stepped to put Hidan between them. The Jashinist burst out laughing even as she attempted to salvage some of her dignity.

"Itachi-san! I didn't know you were coming! I mean, it's not what it looks like, really!"

Itachi held up a hand, but kept his eyes firmly planted to the ground. "It is not my concern. But when you are finished, Tenten needs your assistance. She has a sunburn that needs attention."

With that, the Uchiha spun around and hastily left. Sakura stared after him, itch forgotten, before turning fully and decking Hidan for laughing at her.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Earlier that day…

Tenten suppressed a shiver and pulled Itachi's cloak tighter around her bare body even as the coarse material irritated her blistered skin. The Uchiha glanced at her, noticed her discomfort, and nodded ahead. "We're nearly there. I can see the tree line now."

"G-good." she chattered out.

Even as miserable as she was, Tenten was grateful that Itachi had been the one on this mission with her. If it had been Hidan or Kisame or Tobi- it didn't even bear thinking about. She would be shamed for life. But since Zetsu had been busy and he was second best for the job, Itachi had been sent to Iwagakure to collect information for Pein. Tenten had been sent along to scout potential locations for another hidden base.

They had split up just outside Iwa, and Tenten had headed across the barren wilderness. She was two days out when she discovered a natural spring that surfaced from underground. Hot and dirty, she took the opportunity to bathe since there was no one for miles around. Or so she thought. A group of Iwa ANBU appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Unfortunately for her, one of them knew fire jutsu, and they burned her clothes to taunt her into fighting them. Unfortunately for them, she always kept senbon tucked neatly into her buns, and they never so much as got a peek at her before they died.

But they got the last laugh in the end, because she had to hike for two days under the merciless summer sun with nothing but her scroll to protect her modesty. They had tried to burn it as well, but luckily she got to them before they got to it. She could have just borrowed clothes from one of the ANBU, but as soon as their hearts stopped beating, some sort of seal released, activating a jutsu that completely obliterated their bodies. Needless to say, by the time she reached their rendezvous point, she was freezing to death and as red as a boiled lobster.

Itachi was waiting for her when she arrived. He took a quick look at her and arched his brow before handing her his cloak and what little bit of burn cream he carried with him. It wasn't until she was as comfortable as she was going to get that he asked her what happened. She explained, and after she was finished, Itachi added to the good news. Iwa was expecting retaliation for their attack, and had every village from there to Waterfall guarded by ANBU. All strangers were to be detained for questioning. So they had to travel all the way back to their new base before Tenten could find any relief- or clothes.

The return trip had been blessedly uneventful, even if it did feel like someone had turned her skin into jerky, took a brillo pad to it and threw it into the freezer. Until they walked inside, that is. Tobi practically bounded up to them and told Itachi that their report had to wait because Pein wasn't there yet. Then his attention went to Tenten, and his head tilted in curiosity.

"Tenten-chan, where are your clothes? Did you lose them? Why are you so red? There's no need to be embarrassed. Tobi loses his gloves all the time!" he fired off rapidly.

"She's not embarrassed, she has a sunburn." Itachi calmly stated before drawing Tenten after him down the hall.

They found their assigned rooms and Tenten lay down on the bed while Itachi went to find Sakura and a change of clothes for her. It felt good to just lay there, even if she was cold. Her eyes started drooping, and she wanted to roll over, but figured it would hurt to much to try. So she lay there, listening to Ino and Kakuzu as they passed in the hallway, arguing loud enough to shake the walls. Then it grew quiet and in minutes she was asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Kakuzu passed under a low-hanging branch, following the nearly invisible trail that led to their temporary base. According to his information, they were about four hours' travel away, and would be there well before dark. Ino followed quietly behind him, no doubt mentally cataloging the local plant life even as she stayed alert for potential threats. In fact, she had been mostly silent the whole trip, a refreshing change from Hidan's never-ending bitch fest.

That's what he liked about Ino the most. Not that she was beautiful, or a skilled kunoichi, but that she had an uncanny knack for being able to get along with him. She was able to read him like a book, even through the mask and stoic expression. And she knew just how to respond to him without being annoying. No one else on this planet came close to her ability in this, and if he bought into that shit about soul mates, she would no doubt be his.

They had just passed a meadow and pond when his illusions were shattered by a high pitched squeal of delight. Ino rushed towards the clearing, no doubt drawn by the multitude of wildflowers that carpeted the open ground. Kakuzu shook his head as she carelessly tossed herself on the ground amid a bed of violets and dandelions. When she gave no signs of immediately returning to his side, he stopped and leaned against a tree. She didn't call for him to join her, knowing he would refuse if she tried.

The minutes passed and Kakuzu felt his irritation rise, but still he said nothing. She dealt with his strict demeanor constantly, he could allow her a few moments of wild abandon. He would lecture her for letting her guard down, of course, but that could come later. They had nothing else planned today anyway.

When enough time had passed, Kakuzu uncrossed his arms and headed her way, intent on dragging her from her new-found euphoria and back to the real world. He had not made it three steps when Ino's terrified scream rent the air. He watched as she jumped up from the ground and furiously began smacking at her bare legs. Glancing around frantically, she spied the pond. Without telling him what was going on, she made a beeline for it and jumped in headfirst, clothes and all.

Unsure whether he should be irritated, amused or concerned, Kakuzu jogged over to the embankment, reaching it as Ino's head reappeared. She was sputtering curses as she pulled a strand of pond scum from her hair and quickly stood. The water was obviously stagnant, and now that it was disturbed, emitted a less-than-pleasing aroma. But whatever had Ino jumping into the pond in the first place was evidently more important, because she continued to stand in the waist-deep water. He watched as she drew off her waterlogged cloak and tossed it a few feet from him. Not paying him any mind, she began going over every inch of her bare arms.

Tired of being left in the dark, Kakuzu cleared his throat. "What happened, Ino? Did you get stung by a bee?"

She lifted her head long enough to give him a glare that dared him to mock her. Upset and uncomfortable, she was more volatile than he was in a blind rage. So he waited, and as she returned to her inspection, she answered him. "No. It was a nest of ticks."

Satisfied that her arms were parasite free, Ino half-waded, half-stomped from the pond to stand dripping beside him and check her legs. There was one clinging to the backside of her knee, and after it was dispatched, she took care of the leech that opportunistically attached itself to her calf. Kakuzu checked her back as she wrung out her hair. Then without so much as a thank you, she snatched up her cloak and stalked off towards the tree line.

Her indignation was nearly amusing, and Kakuzu half expected her to kick the patch of flowers she was lying in as he followed her past it. Instead, she gave it a wide berth, taking her frustration out on the first tree trunk they came to instead. She didn't speak until a half hour later, when their path brought them close to a swift moving stream. As he expected, she demanded that they stop so she could bathe and wash out her clothes.

Relenting, Kakuzu made himself comfortable against a boulder while she got down to business. A half hour later, an enticing sight greeted him as a completely bare Ino hung her clothes on a tree limb to dry. She had just noticed his stare and started to smirk when a subtle flare of chakra caught her attention and she turned her head. Her face went from taunting to horrified as Zetsu's bi-colored face emerged from the ground a few feet away. The plant ninja's expression could only be described as incredulous as he realized he wasn't alone. Then his light side turned bright red and he silently slid back into the ground.

Ino's shriek came seconds later as she leaped into Kakuzu's lap, wrapping the sides of his unclasped cloak around her. "Oh, Kami! That was Zetsu. And he saw me! You have to do something, Kakuzu. If the others find out about this, I'll never live it down!"

Kakuzu waited until her rant slowed. "What can I do about it? He already saw you and he can travel faster."

Ino's look suddenly went from bewildered to determined. "Kill him."

Although he couldn't argue with her plan, for once he was on the diplomatic side of things. He couldn't just kill Zetsu, he was a very vital part of the way the Akatsuki operated. "Ino," he reasoned, "you are a kunoichi, so I know he isn't the first person to see you naked. Besides, it's nothing you haven't shown him before."

Ino jumped to her feet, flushed and fuming. "Don't you dare bring that up!"

Completely unaffected by her dramatics, Kakuzu shrugged. "I'm not the one who got plastered with Sakura and decided to chase Kisame with a kitchen knife in my underwear."

Having had enough, Ino put her still soaked clothes back on and started for the base once more. The trip this time was far less pleasant, with her repeated demands for Zetsu's head. They were still at it when they entered the base four hours later, neither side giving an inch. Survival instincts intact, Kisame ducked into an empty room as soon as he saw them. It only quieted down when they parted ways, Ino to her room to hide from Zetsu for the rest of her life, and Kakuzu to his office to hide from Ino for the rest of his. But if anyone ever accused him of it, they would die the most painful death he could think of.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Now?"

"Not yet. It takes time to work properly." Kisame explained, trying desperately to keep the amused grin from his face.

Hinata sighed before she remembered that she had been trying to hold her breath. The nasty stench emanating from the goo clinging to her skin hit her and her stomach turned over. If she had to endure this much longer, she was sure she would be sick. She gave Kisame a look of desperation as the foul mixture turned clammy and began to harden. The shark ninja wasn't the least bit sympathetic as he grinned and checked the time. She decided then and there that he must be related to Hidan, no matter how differently they looked.

Tightening her grip on her hair so it didn't fall and touch her skin, Hinata sighed again. This was definitely not one of her better days. First, there was the group of hunter nin they had to fight as soon as they woke up this morning. Then they had to travel all the way here. When they arrived, she had decided to take a nap and recover some of her chakra. Kisame had awoken her an hour later, and it was then that they discovered the rash. She didn't even think she was allergic to poison ivy, but one arm was covered in swollen red bumps that spread down her side and onto her hip.

She had wanted Sakura to look at it, but Kisame convinced her to try the Mist Village's remedy. What he didn't tell her until it was too late was the ingredients. Now she was sitting here, completely naked, slathered in cold fish paste, seaweed, and Kami only knows what else. If her father could see her now, he would no doubt faint from sheer horror. If the smell didn't kill him first. And Kisame had teased her the whole time.

"You know, this is a great opportunity." he had said as he was applying the salve to her ribs.

"F-for what?" she asked.

"Fishing. You could jump in the water, attract the fish and get clean at the same time."

"Very funny."

"Just don't let Kakuzu see you. He'll have you going door to door selling fertilizer."

She paled at the thought of anyone seeing her like this, much less Kakuzu. And no sooner had she thought that than a knock sounded at the door. Kisame chuckled at her bright red face as he stood to answer it. Thankfully, she was facing the far wall, and when she swiveled her head to watch, Kisame's large frame blocked any view of the room. She heard Itachi's monotone from the other side, then Kisame closed the door and turned around.

"Tenten needs to borrow a set of clothing. Hers were lost on a mission. Itachi said she'll return them tomorrow after they come back from the village."

"Uh, sure." Hinata replied as she tilted her head towards her pack.

Kisame retrieved what he needed and headed back to the door. Just before he pulled it open, he glanced at the clock. "Time's up now."

Hinata jumped to her feet and fled to the bathroom so fast wings would have been in her way. A suppressed cough from Itachi brought Kisame's attention back and as he handed over the clothes, he noticed how sallow his partner was suddenly looking. Figuring it was most likely the result of the smell wafting towards them as Hinata passed, Kisame chuckled. "Something wrong, Itachi-san?"

"Nothing at all." he stated before turning and quickly retreating down the hallway,

Outright laughing at his companion's seemingly weak constitution, Kisame closed the door and went to see how Hinata was faring with her rash.

The End


	4. Pretzel Day Richter Scale Day

Seismic Angels

Sakura aimlessly wandered the hallway of the base, munching on a bag of pretzel twists. It was one of those rare days when everyone had nothing in particular to do, yet still managed to stay occupied. She had been studying one of her medical texts up until a few minutes ago, when she got decidedly bored. After grabbing her snack, she set off to find some company. Unfortunately, everyone was busy doing their own thing. Hidan was in their room, praying to Jashin. Kakuzu was holed up in his office, stressing over their trip to the carnival yesterday, while Ino lounged on his leather couch, reading. Kisame and Hinata had gone swimming, and Itachi and Tenten went to the training grounds for target practice. Sasori and Deidara had wandered off a while ago, and she probably didn't want to know what Pein and Konan were up to. She passed by the conservatory to see that even Tobi was busy, assisting Zetsu as he watered his plants.

Which left her with her pretzels, bored and alone. She thought about going to the common room and shooting pool, but it just didn't sound very fun by herself. So instead, she decided to go outside. Maybe she would run into Tenten on her way back and they could spar. Closing the door behind her, she paused and took a deep breath. The air was nice and cool, and a breeze ruffled her pink locks around her face. It was peaceful here, in this secluded part of Wave Country, and Sakura liked it almost as much as the noticeably warmer climate of Fire Country.

She was about halfway to the designated training grounds when she came upon a flat, barren meadow. In the center stood Deidara, hovering over Sasori and a device of some sort. They were so absorbed in their task that they barely registered her approach. Curiosity propelling her on, she came to a stop on the other side of Sasori. Leaning down, she examined the contraption in front of them. It was knee-high, and looked like a pendulum suspended within a cylinder. A needle hung from the pendulum, the tip barely touching a piece of smoked glass. On the glass were rings like a bull's-eye.

"It's a seismiscope." Sasori answered her question before it was out of her mouth. "Deidara wouldn't stop pestering me until I found something that could test the potency of his various bombs."

"This way, I'll know exactly how much force to use, yeah."

Sakura's eyes lit up as an idea came to her. "Can I try it after you're done? I've never measured how hard my chakra punches are. I wonder if I can make a blast bigger than one of your bombs."

"Ha! You're welcome to try, Sakura-san, but I doubt it."

Her jade eyes narrowed in determination. "Let's make it a bet then. Whoever loses has to clean up the mess and make dinner tomorrow."

Deidara grinned. "You're on, yeah."

Sasori rolled his eyes. He knew this was going to be a bad idea from the start, and now the collateral damage just doubled. His only hope was that Pein didn't try to pin any of the blame on him when his exuberant partner destroyed something important. Climbing to his feet, he gave his work a final inspection. "Let's get this over with."

After arguing for several minutes over the best spot to use, Deidara and Sakura settled on the flattest part of the field. That way the terrain wouldn't interfere with the shockwaves they would produce. Sasori set his machine up an appropriate distance away, and they were ready. It was decided that they would take turns, using their smallest measures of power and work their way up from there. Sakura went first, her hand glowing green with chakra as she slammed it into the ground. The earth rumbled and vibrated, and Sasori watched with satisfaction as the needle moved slightly to the left.

"zero point five!" he called out.

"Ha, my turn!" Deidara said excitedly. And so it began.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Ino grabbed another pretzel stick from the bowl in her lap and turned to the last page of her novel. Her friends often commented on how she didn't seem like the type to spend time reading. True, she didn't get into the heavier, academic stuff like Sakura did, but she enjoyed a good mystery every now and again. And she loved romance novels. The one she was finishing up now was about a young maiden who grew up under the care and protection of a demon, only to fall in love with him when she reached adulthood.

Her mind drifted back into the story, until she reached the end and shut the book. With a serene smile on her face, she stretched before turning her head to see what Kakuzu was up to. He was still working on his budget book, with one hand pressed to his temple while the other was furiously scribbling across a piece of scrap paper with a pencil. Sensing her eyes on him, he paused and looked up. Ino gave him a bright smile. How long would it take him to cave in to her charms? True, it had never worked before, she was the one who always wound up yielding to him, but she just hadn't hit the right combination yet. Eventually she would have his number, and then he would melt like butter. Renewing her determination, she let her eyes travel over his face.

"Why don't you take a break? You've been fussing over that book for hours."

"I need to get this finished first." he protested.

Ino immediately stuck out her lower lip and gave him puppy dog eyes. "But I'm lonely."

Kakuzu just stared at her. So, it was this game again. They played it nearly every day. She was just so sure he would come crawling to her like a lovesick puppy. But he was far too old to play the fool to his emotions. She tried something else, rolling onto her side in an enticing pose, letting her hair fall over one shoulder as she beckoned him with one finger. Still he did not budge. It was only when she sat up properly and gave him a genuine 'please' that he relented. But he had to give her points for persistence. She had to know by now that her feminine charms couldn't be used to control him. Not that they didn't have the intended effect. Sometimes he found himself damn near attacking her as soon as they reached their bedroom. But he didn't want her to feel as if she had to manipulate or seduce him to get his attention. He only wanted her to be herself, and to hell with the rest of the nonsense.

Rising from his chair, he walked over to the couch. He stretched out on it, laying with his head in Ino's lap and his hands laced across his stomach. He did have quite a headache, and after taking in the pleased expression on her face, he closed his eyes and let himself relax. As if on cue, her fingers found his temples, and she began lightly massaging them. After several minutes, he felt his headache ease. Then she moved lower, seeking the nape of his neck, where she massaged the knotted muscles until they were loose.

Then her fingers were traveling again, and he automatically tensed, knowing what she would do next. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, the opposite in fact, but the response was so ingrained that he doubted it would ever go away. Up until she came into his life, no one removed his mask and lived, and he never willingly let anyone see his face. But from the first time he had trusted her enough to let her see what he really looked like, she had had an unwavering fascination with the stitching around his mouth. She loved to run her fingers over the black threads, grinning when the nerves in his skin, unused to contact of any sort, curved the corners of his lips upward. Then she would say that he looked much better with a smile, not so grouchy, and she would kiss him. He wasn't actually smiling, but he never contested her statement. By that time he had more on his mind than arguing semantics.

True to prediction, the linen was soon sliding down over his nose and cheeks. His eyes opened as she tucked the fabric under his chin. Their eyes met briefly, and her look turned playful. Grabbing a pretzel from the bowl she had set on the end table, Ino stuck one end in her mouth and leaned forward. "Open up." she commanded between clenched teeth.

Their position was a bit awkward, and Kakuzu wasn't much for playing games, but he managed to accept her gift with little difficulty. Ino held her breath as their lips met, a heady rush sweeping over her at being so near to him. As he chewed, she feathered her lips along his stitches, trying not to giggle as they brushed her skin in time with his jaw movements. She tried to pull back when he swallowed, but found her retreat blocked by his hand on the back of her neck. With a gentleness that belied his strength, he guided her back down and captured her lips in a hungry kiss.

Ino sighed in his mouth as the salt from their shared snack mingled with the taste of his skin. She finally admitted to herself that she was the one who was seduced, not him. Everyone probably thought she was crazy, but there was just something about him that was so irresistible, it drew her like a magnet. Sakura had even asked her one time how she could stand to be with someone who was so callous and demanding, so cold. But his frosty exterior was just a wall to keep people at a distance. They just couldn't see it for the thorns. But she had managed to find a small crack in that wall, and when she had a peek inside, what she found amazed her.

He was a genius when it came to math, and his ability to harness the chakra of others put her family's manipulative techniques to shame. His practical nature came from a childhood of tough choices that meant the difference between survival and starvation. She was sure she would be the same way if she had been in his shoes. Not everyone had the caring, sheltered existence she had been provided with. And he was anything but cold. His volatile temper should have been proof of that, but only she was privy to the other side of it, the silent heat that he exuded when he allowed her close enough. It was a fiery vitality that made her feel more alive than anything she had experienced before. But that was her secret to keep. His trust was far too important to her to waste on cheap words and useless explanations. They would just have to keep guessing.

Ino had been so lost in thought that she missed the first tremor that rattled the building. But when the second one hit, she was pulled from her reverie by Kakuzu's sudden change in position. He had broken off their kiss, and was now sitting up, hands clenched in fists. "What the hell's the point of keeping the location of our bases a secret when that damned moron is going to alert everyone within a hundred miles of our whereabouts?" he ground out before jumping to his feet and heading for the door.

Ino couldn't keep the smirk off her face, knowing full well his irritation stemmed more from being interrupted than the security of the organization. Then she remembered that Deidara needed saving from a certain demise, and she jumped to her feet to follow Kakuzu. It wasn't the first time she'd had to intervene on the impulsive blonde's behalf, and this time, he was really going to owe her one. Her tongue darted out and over her swollen lips as she tried to straighten her clothes and run at the same time. Yes, he was really, really, going to owe her now.

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Tenten wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead before she spread her blanket out on the ground that, moments before, had been littered with her vast collection of weapons. Dropping to her knees, she waited for Itachi to join her. He did so, after retrieving the basket of food they had stashed in a nearby hollow tree. She watched as he sat beside her, marveling at the grace he exhibited as he moved. Not a single movement was wasted, and even the simplest gestures were executed with precision. Like the way he was offering her the basket now, even as a bemused look came over his face.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No." Tenten replied as she accepted the basket, her cheeks coloring in embarrassment.

Despite the extra protection of the tree, a large hole had been singed through the wicker by an exploding tag that strayed too far. Opening the lid, Tenten was dismayed to see that their sandwiches had been burnt beyond salvation. In fact, the only thing left edible was their bottles of water and a container of chocolate covered pretzels. Pulling them out, she set the basket aside and took a long drink. Itachi followed suit, recapping his bottle before she had even finished.

Pulling her hand back, Tenten frowned as a stray droplet escaped from her lips to roll down her chin. Before she even noticed he had moved, Itachi was in front of her, hand on her chin. As she sucked in her breath in surprise, he feathered his thumb over her skin, wiping away the moisture. Her eyes lifted to his, and her heart skipped a beat at the intensity in his chocolate gaze. Then he was leaning forward, gently pressing his lips to hers as his silken bangs brushed her face. Tenten's eyes closed as pleasure raced through her body, waking up her nerves and heightening her senses.

Just as quickly he drew back, and Tenten opened her eyes. She watched as he picked up the tin of pretzels, pulled a handful out, and stretched out on the blanket to watch the clouds as if nothing had happened. Inwardly, she sighed. It was always this way with him. He was solemn and constrained almost all of the time, then without warning his emotions would pour forth, as blazing hot as his Amaterasu. And in almost no time at all, he would retreat back into his shell, to become the stoic, calculating Uchiha everyone knew him to be.

But no matter how puzzling her relationship with Itachi was, she couldn't say she was unsatisfied or bored. They were a comfortable couple, content to be in each other's presence without the need for more. From the very beginning they gravitated towards each other, and once they admitted to themselves that there was an attraction between them, agreed to a simple relationship. They didn't talk about the past, or the future, for both only held a bitter unpleasantness that couldn't be changed or avoided. Day to day was how they did it, and even though a part of her wanted more, she knew those dreams were for normal people. People who weren't waiting on that one wrong move that would end it all. People who weren't shinobi.

So she squashed her sudden disappointment and gave him a sweet smile before retrieving the tin of pretzels and lying down, less gracefully, with her head pillowed on his stomach. As her breathing slowed and she relaxed, her eyes drifted upward to the wisps of white floating above. Her head bobbed lazily with the rhythm of his breathing, and her own subconsciously fell into time. She munched on a few pretzels, but they were soon forgotten as her mind started making images out of the clouds. Two smaller ones passed overhead, shaped like a pair of rabbits. She was about to comment on them when she felt his arm snake up her side, the tips of his fingers sliding under the edge of her shirt. When his hand reached her stomach, he stopped, fingers splayed to rest on her abdomen. A content smile found her lips and she remained silent, unwilling to break this rare moment of peace in her life.

All too soon it was disrupted by the sound of an explosion, followed by a tremor that rumbled beneath them. Itachi tensed, and for a fraction of a second, his grip tightened on her stomach. Then he was sitting up, bringing her with him. Turning to look at his face, she saw the familiar chocolate of his eyes lighten until they reflected the blood red of his Sharingan. But he wasn't looking at her. Instead his gaze was focused on the source of the disturbance. A second explosion sounded, and he shook his head in dismay.

"What is it?" she asked, having a feeling she already knew the answer.

"Deidara."

"Fighting?"

"No. Practicing."

With a sigh, Tenten stood, gathering up her things to head back towards the base. She was still hungry after expending most of her chakra training, and the pretzels just weren't cutting it. Maybe when she got back, she'd have blonde ninja kabobs. It would serve him right for ruining her afternoon. But then again, they would probably just taste like clay, so she would have to settle for something less satisfying. Itachi folded the blanket and handed it to her before they started off, disappearing into the tree line without a sound.

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"W-wait, Kisame, it's too h-high!" Hinata protested loudly, trying to make herself be heard over the rushing water beneath her.

"Don't you trust me?" Kisame asked, adjusting his grip on her bare legs.

"Y-yes." she answered, even as her survival instincts protested. Looking down, she swallowed hard and tightened her hold on his thick neck. He was standing on the very top of a thirty foot column of water in the middle of a deep lake, Hinata on his back. And even though she knew he was in complete control, she couldn't help the racing of her heart as the water wobbled and swayed. Trying to ignore it, she looked out over the tops of the trees, wondering for the hundredth time how she let him talk her into trying these stunts.

"Then hang on, you're gonna love this!" he yelled.

Suddenly they were moving with the water, forward and down, fast enough to make her stomach jump into her throat. Hinata tried to close her eyes, but couldn't quite manage it as the surface of the lake raced up to meet them. An unintended scream was torn from her throat and Kisame laughed maniacally just before they crashed below the surface, sending tails of water spraying up into the sky. Remembering to hold her breath and close her eyes at the last second, Hinata clung to Kisame as the force of the impact tried to tear her from his bare back.

Then she felt weightless as they spun under the water, trapped air bubbles rushing over her skin like invisible fingers. Opening her eyes, she watched as debris floated around them, and fish scrambled to get away from the sudden disturbance. Her hair momentarily lifted away from her body as Kisame made an arc and headed back towards the surface. Breaching the liquid barrier, Hinata gasped as she drug air into her lungs. Her soaked hair plastered itself to her face, but her hands were still shaking too much from the excitement for her to reach up and move it.

Kisame shifted beneath her, his back muscles flexing as he began swimming to shore with long, powerful strokes. They were nearly halfway there before her breathing returned to normal and her heartbeat slowed. Keeping one hand firmly anchored to his shoulder, she cleared her face with the other. Looking down, she saw that Kisame had a huge smile on his face. Not his usual taunting smirk, but an honest smile. She felt her own lips curve upward in return. That was the reason she mustered up the courage to join him in these bouts of insanity. It was one of the few things in his life that really made him happy.

"You're completely n-nuts, you know that?"

"C'mon, you know you liked it." he answered, lifting his chin out of the water to speak.

She wasn't an adrenaline junkie the way he was, but she had to admit, it was exhilarating. She felt…more alive somehow. "Yeah, it was f-fun."

A distant explosion had her raising her head to watch smoke curl upward, drifting above the tree line. Kisame chuckled. "At least you're not stuck blowing shit up with Deidara."

His feet finally found the bottom and he stood, grabbing her legs again as water sluiced from both of them to splash back into the lake. The air seemed cooler than when they went in, and goose bumps immediately broke out on Hinata's skin. She leaned into Kisame's back for warmth until they reached shore, where he let her down. A little wobbly, she made her way to where their things lay hidden in the tall grass. Grabbing her cloak, she quickly pulled it on, covering the navy bikini she only let him see her in. Kisame took his time dressing, shaking the water out of his hair so it would stand up again instead of falling around his ears the way it did when it was soaked.

Picking up his bag of soft pretzels, Kisame waited while Hinata wrung out her hair. Retrieving one from the top, he chewed absently while he watched her get ready to leave. His eyes unerringly slid over her curves, obvious as the now damp cloak began clinging to her skin. He grinned when she caught him staring and blushed. Completely unrepentant, he chuckled and offered her a pretzel. Her nose wrinkled up as the pungent smell from the bag wafted her way.

"Is t-that old bay seasoning on them?"

"And mustard. Try one, they're good."

"N-no thanks." she replied, shaking her head. "It reminds me too much of eating c-crab legs."

He shrugged. "More for me, then."

Hinata was pulling on her second sandal when a tremor made the ground shake beneath them. She looked up at Kisame, who had a frown on his face. This part of Wave Country wasn't known to have many earthquakes. "We'd better get back and make sure nothing is going on." he said.

Hinata straightened with a nod, and in no time they were making their way through the trees, droplets of water leaving a wet trail behind them.

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Hidan opened his hard, violet eyes, and stood up. Grabbing his scythe from it's place in the corner, he stomped towards the door. The first dozen explosions that shook the building he could ignore, he was used to be around that maniac, after all, but this was getting fucking ridiculous. All he wanted to do was complete his ritual in peace. But he couldn't concentrate at all with that little shit turning the place into a one-man war zone.

Slamming the door behind him, Hidan wasn't surprised to see Pein and Konan walking swiftly down the hallway, heading in the direction of the front door. His only regret was that they would be there to keep him from slaughtering the blonde punk the way he deserved to be. A cruel smile crossed his lips. They might stop him. Then again, they might not. If it hadn't been for Sakura and her unwavering sense of responsibility, he probably would have sent all these damned heathens to Jashin and moved on long ago. But today he just didn't give a damn what they thought. He was fed up. Besides, between Sakura and Kakuzu, they could put him back together again, and he would have at least a week of peace and quiet while the little bastard was healing.

Giving his scythe a deft spin that narrowly missed the wall, Hidan fell into step behind his leader. Neither spoke, both too intent on stopping the menace outside to worry about pleasantries. Pein pulled the door open just as the biggest boom yet sounded. The ground shook beneath them, and if they hadn't been trained shinobi, all three of them would have been knocked to the ground. His eyes narrowing, Pein broke into a run, Konan on his heels. Muttering another curse, Hidan slammed the front door.

At the exact same that the door clicked shut, another tremor rocked the earth. But this time, it seemed to be coming from the opposite direction, behind them. Turning around, Hidan's eyes widened as the building itself seemed to groan right before a loud crack rent the air. The noise reached Pein and he stopped mid-stride and turned around. Hidan could only watch, wide-eyed, as chunks of the walls split and crumbled. Brick, plaster and wood rained down only inches from him. A third tremor struck, and the building groaned again. Then, as if someone had suddenly removed all the support beams at once, the whole thing began to sway and rock. Hidan came to his senses and jumped back just in time to miss being hit by the front door as it burst forward under the pressure of the building collapsing behind it.

A cloud of dust rolled up, obscuring his view, but he could hear every sickening thud as the walls fell in and the roof dropped to rest on the debris. Hidan just stood there in shock, the only thought running through his head was to thank Jashin he wasn't in there, because it would be a real bitch to move all that heavy shit to get back out. Then the sound of running feet broke him out of his reverie, and he turned to see Pein and Konan heading his way. Running a hand through his dusty silver hair, Hidan pointed back to the now ruined remains of the building.

"That was _not_ my fucking fault!"

It wasn't long before the deafening roar of the base's collapse brought the rest of the Akatsuki to the site. They all just stood there, no one daring to speak first. Pein and Kakuzu looked like they could call down the apocalypse with sheer fury. Konan, Ino, Tenten, Hinata and Kisame looked just as shocked and disbelieving as he felt. Itachi and Sasori had the same expressions on their faces they always did, jadedly stoic. Deidara and Sakura stood at the back of the group, eyeing the ground guiltily.

Konan, knowing Pein wouldn't rain his wrath down on her, spoke first. "Is everyone alright?"

Nods went around, then Deidara said, "Um, I think we might have casualties. I don't see Zetsu or Tobi, yeah."

Everyone turned to look, but before anyone could move, a shrill voice from behind them cut into the tension. "Here we are, Deidara-sempai!"

Deidara muttered a 'damn' as the last two members joined them. Tobi bounced around in his normal obliviousness, and Zetsu was having a heated discussion with himself on whether or not anything could be salvaged from his greenhouse. Then Pein raised his hand for silence and all eyes fell on his enraged face.

"There had better be a damn good explanation for this." he ground out. "And I want to hear it, now."

Hidan tightened his grip on his scythe, ready to lay into anyone who spoke a word out of line to Sakura, whether she had anything to do with it or not. Surprisingly, it was Sasori who stepped forward, relating without embellishment the events of the afternoon, from the use of his invention to the power contest between Deidara and Sakura that evidently shifted an unknown fault beneath the base. Pein listened intently, and after it was over, he said nothing for the longest time. His face returned to it's normal impassiveness, but no one dared relax. Then he took a deep breath and spoke.

"Konan and I will head to the next closest base. I want this mess cleared out. Leave no evidence that we were ever here. When you are finished, you may join us. I'll have your next mission assignments waiting for you when you arrive." With that he turned and walked off, his blue-haired partner close behind.

After they were gone, everyone let out a sigh of relief, glad that no one was going to be roasted…yet. Then they all formed a loose circle to discuss how they were going to get rid of an entire building while avoiding any nosy passer-bys and ninja patrols that might have heard the explosions.

Deidara, who seemed to be completely uninterested in what was going on, strolled to the closest patch of shade and sat down. When everyone glared at him, he grinned. "Have fun, Sakura-san. But since you'll obviously still be busy tomorrow, you don't have to make anything special for dinner, yeah."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hidan asked. "Leader told all of us to do it, not just Sakura, you dense shit."

"Lay off. I won our bet, fair and square, yeah."

"Deidara, you can't seriously tell me you're not going to help. We need you to-"

"Don 't worry," Ino interrupted "we'll help you, won't we, girls?"

"Sure." Tenten and Hinata simultaneously agreed before heading over to the ruined building to get started. Kakuzu and Hidan let out a groan and Itachi remained silent as they followed the kunoichi.

Kisame looked at Hinata, then back at Deidara with a smirk. "This is going to take a while. If anyone gets hungry, I've got pretzels."

The End


	5. Mother's Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: I'm breaking the format by making this one almost completely serious. But I hope you enjoy it regardless.

Lost Angels

"This is fucking insane." Hidan complained.

"Not to mention a waste of time and effort." Kakuzu added, agreeing with his partner for once.

"Why is Itachi the only one allowed to go? If a fight breaks out, I won't be there to help." Kisame sulked, his grip tightening on Samehada.

Tenten stepped up to the shark ninja, hands on her hips, craning her head back to meet his eyes. "Because we want to get in and out quietly, not turn Konoha into a bloody swimming pool."

"Sounds fun. I vote we do that instead."

Rolling her eyes, Tenten walked away from the smirking Kisame and back to the group that was giving their gear a last minute check. They didn't expect to run into any trouble, but it wouldn't do to get caught unprepared. As Sakura pulled on her gloves and Hinata activated her Byakugan, Ino turned and gave Kakuzu a salute. "We'll be back in fifteen minutes." she said with a smile.

The sky was beginning to gray as a heavy fog rolled in, compliments of Kisame, providing cover for the five shadows that slipped through the chakra barrier undetected. They reached the front gate without a problem, and the guards never saw a thing as they fell under Itachi's genjutsu. Three blocks of roof-hopping and two dropped ANBU later, the group landed at the front door of the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Ino produced her key, which luckily still fit, and they were soon inside. Five minutes later they were back on the sidewalk, ready to separate.

"Meet back at the front gate in seven minutes." Itachi said before disappearing.

Dawn broke twenty minutes later, spilling light onto the quiet streets of Konoha. Everything was as it should be, much to the relief of the four ninja who were praying no one noticed that they had dozed off while on duty. In the forest surrounding, dew was shaken from their leaves as eight figures made their way through the trees, speeding towards the border of Fire Country. The mission was a success, and Sakura imagined the look on Tsunade's face when she realized what had happened. A sad smile suddenly curved the kunoichi's lips. If only she could be there to see it…

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Satsu awoke to the sounds of the dozen children she cared for running excitedly through the bedrooms of the orphanage. The voices of her three assistants drifted up to her as well, already arrived and preparing the children for breakfast. With a dutiful sigh, she climbed out of bed and dressed. Suppressing several yawns, she brushed and braided her hair. She gave herself a once over in the mirror, ignoring the bags under her eyes and the wrinkles that seemed to be etching their way around the corners of her mouth. It seemed like ages since she had a decent night's sleep. There was always one more diaper or sheet to change, one more bottle to fix, one more nightmare to chase away. She would have liked to hire one of her assistants on full time, but the meager stipend she received from the village barely covered their wages during the day. It was only with the help of private donations that she kept her finances in the black.

But it was worth the effort. Every happy smile that replaced the tear stains on the dirty faces that arrived on her doorstep reminded her that she was making a difference. They now had a future that didn't involve starving to death in some decrepit back alley. It was true that most of them would wind up as shinobi, but a hard life was better than dying before you had a chance to live. Besides, the fourth Hokage was the one who founded the to orphanage in the first place, and asked her to run it.

She was headed down the stairs to start her chores for the day when the sound of heavier footsteps came running her way. Her youngest assistant paused at the foot of the steps, out of breath. She had a huge smile on her face. "Satsu-sama, you have to come see this!" she exclaimed when she could finally speak.

Satsu followed her to the dining room where the children were seated around the table, eating breakfast. In the middle was a clear vase she had never seen before. It was full of honeysuckle sprays, along with smaller sprigs of azalia in light pink. Underneath was a small card. Curious as to how such a thing got there, she opened the card to find a note and enough money to run the orphanage for a month. She read the note, shock registering on her face.

_To the mothers whose hearts know no bounds. Thank you._

_Tenten_

Could it really be possible? She hadn't seen Tenten since she left the village years ago. She might have helped raise the girl, but surely she wouldn't risk coming back just to give her a Mother's Day gift. It was insane. Nonetheless, the proof was right in front of her. And that's when a sense of guilt hit her. Should she report this to the Hokage? Or turn in the money? It was probably earned through illegal means, so she really shouldn't accept it, even though she could really use it. Wiping an unbidden tear from her cheek, she settled on a compromise. She would talk to the Hokage, tell her about the visit, and see if she could keep at least a portion of the income. Leaning down, she sniffed the honeysuckle as a smile found her face. It suddenly didn't matter if she got to keep the money or not. Tenten was alive and apparently well, and that knowledge was the best gift she could have gotten today.

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"Mommy! Wake up!"

Kurenai groaned and opened her eyes in defeat. She would have begged for five more minutes of sleep, but knew it was futile. She started to push the covers back and sit up when a weight landed on her stomach and she found herself staring into a pair of innocent chocolate eyes. A smile found her lips as her daughter leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the nose.

"Can we go to the park today?"

"Right now?"

"Yes!"

"But darling, what if it rains?" Kurenai asked, her voice taking on a teasing tone.

"There aren't any clouds outside!" she exclaimed, pointing out the window at the sunny blue sky.

"What if there are ninjas there?" Kurenai asked, her eyes going wide in fake apprehension.

"Don't be silly, mommy! We're ninjas. And if there are any bad ninjas, Uncle Shika and I will fight them until they all go away!" she shouted, pummeling her fists in the air.

"Well, I guess I have nothing to worry about then."

"Yay!"

"Breakfast first, though."

"Aww!"

With much urging and complaining about the delay, Kurenai was given the five-year-old version of being dragged from the room. An hour later (ages, according to her daughter) and they were finally ready to go. Stepping out the door, the pair was greeted by two sights. The first, unsurprisingly, was that of Shikamaru, lounging on the bench across the street. He gave a lazy wave seconds before being jumped on by a three foot bundle of energy and dark curls. More unusual was the vase of yellow roses on her doorstep. Inside the glass rim was a small jewelry box.

Kurenai arched a brow at Shikamaru. "I know it's Mother's Day, but I told you not to get me flowers.

"They're not from me." he said. Then after giving her a knowing nod, he scooped up her daughter and started down the street, toward the park.

So, he had already looked in the box. Reminding herself to give him a going over for being nosy, Kurenai knelt down and smelled the roses. They had a rich, fruity scent. After touching one of the velvety soft petals, she picked up the vase and took it into the house. Setting it on the table, she retrieved the box and opened it. Inside lay a gold necklace with a small hummingbird pendant attached to it. Tucked beneath it was a folded note. Pulling the paper out, she opened it and scanned the message.

She barely found the chair she was trying to sit on as her eyes suddenly became blurry with tears. Blinking several times to clear them, she read the note again.

_Kurenai-sensei,_

_I just wanted to wish you a happy Mother's Day. I know I shouldn't have come, but you have always been so kind and understanding, and I still think of you as a second mother. Thank you for everything you have done._

_Please forgive me,_

_Hinata_

Crushing the note in her hand, Kurenai stared at the flowers, which were trying to go out of focus again. "You silly fool" she whispered to the bright yellow buds "of course I forgive you."

After several moments, Kurenai regained control of herself and stood back up. Placing the crumpled note back in the box, she slipped the necklace around her throat. She touched the petals of the largest flower once more before heading back out the door and locking it behind her. She looked around, realizing for the first time just what a nice morning it was. A light breeze blew through her shaggy hair, and a small smile found her lips as she headed to the park to find her other daughter.

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Inoichi sighed heavily as he stared at the front door of his wife's flower shop. It was a shame they wouldn't be opening today; Mother's Day had always been one of their busiest days. But he understood why she couldn't be here. With Ino gone, she couldn't bear to see the faces of all the people who came in to get something for their mothers and wives, knowing that she wouldn't be seeing her own child at all. For the past two years she had spent the entire day laying in bed and staring at the ceiling. Sometimes he would hear her grief through the walls of the house, when she was unable to hold the tears back anymore.

He had offered to make her a cup of her favorite tea this morning, trying to cheer her up, forgetting that she kept it in the shop to drink during the day while she worked. Or else he probably wouldn't be here either. Turning the key and pushing the door open, he started inside, when something on the edge of his senses made him freeze. Someone, no, several people had been here last night. The air felt disturbed, and he could swear there was traces of chakra in the confined space of the building. Fully alert, he slipped inside and silently closed the door. Several minutes passed as he waited, stock still. His eyes scanned the interior of the shop, noting every detail that seemed out of place. Nothing moved, and he finally relaxed. Whoever it was, was gone now.

His gaze landed on the cash register. It looked intact, but there was a small bag sitting beside of it that he did not recognize. Cautiously approaching, he opened the register first. The petty cash they left overnight was still there. So they weren't after money. Then he opened the bag. Inside were several boxes of expensive teas that could only be found in a small village in Tea Country. Also inside were several light blue iris blooms. They were his wife's favorite flower. Pulling out one of the blossoms, he studied it. There was only a handful of people who knew such things about his wife and only one who would have to sneak into the shop to give these to her.

Since she had gone, Ino had never answered him when he tried to reach her mind. Either she was too far away or she sealed her mind to keep the rest of the Yamanaka Clan from finding her. But if she had been here last night, he just might be able to contact her. Pouring all of his will into his technique, he called to her.

'_Ino, baby, answer me, please!'_

There was nothing for a long while, and he had nearly given up, when her faint voice entered his mind. _'Good morning, Daddy.'_

Relief washed over him. _'Thank Kami. Are you alright?'_

'_I'm fine, Daddy. Take Mom her tea. I'm almost out of range now and you'll be in trouble if I talk to you any more. I love you both.' _Then she withdrew and was gone.

"I love you too." he answered aloud.

If he had been any less than the hardened shinobi he was, he might have collapsed right there in the floor. But he was Inoichi Yamanaka, one of Konoha's finest ninja. Keeping that thought in the front of his mind, he picked the bag up, walked briskly out of the shop and locked the door. The trip back to the house was a blur, but when he walked inside, he found his wife in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. She had a huge smile on her face, and she intermittently whistled along to the radio as it played one of her favorite songs.

There was only one explanation for her behavior on a day like today. "So you talked to her too, I see."

Her only reply was her smile as she walked over to hand him a plate of food. "Did you get my tea?"

He traded the bag for the plate, and while he sat down to eat, she tucked the irises into a bud vase. Returning to her whistling, she selected one of the more aromatic varieties of tea and fixed them both a cup. Sitting across from him at the table, she handed him his and started to eat. "Let's get finished quickly." she said between bites. "I need your help straightening the shop up before we open today. She said she left quite a mess in the back room. They were in a bit of a hurry this morning."

"Sure." he replied, her infectious smile forcing the corners of his mouth upwards.

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Shizune scooted her chair back and straightened her stack of papers for the third time that morning as she glanced up at the clock. If Tsunade didn't get here within the next five minutes, she would have to go to her apartment and drag her back here…for the fourth time this week. Sure it was Sunday, but if she hadn't gotten quite so drunk on Friday, she wouldn't have had all this paperwork to catch up on before tomorrow.

Thirty seconds before her time was up, Shizune heard the familiar tap, tap, tap of Tsunade's heels as she slowly made her way towards her office. When she rounded the corner and came into sight, Shizune sighed. The Hokage's head was lolling forward, and she had one hand on the wall to steady herself. Her long, blonde hair was a mess, and her clothes looked like she just rolled out of bed and tossed them on. Yep, she was definitely hung over.

Tsunade didn't say a word as she passed Shizune's desk, just held out her hand for the stack of papers she knew would be waiting on her. Shizune handed them over and watched as her boss made her way into her office and kicked the door shut. Since she now had an hour that was normally spent getting Tsunade to work, Shizune took her time going over last night's ANBU reports.

"What the hell?" came the muffled curse from the other side of the door a moment later. Shizune never even batted an eyelash.

"How could she be so damned reckless?"

This was a little louder, and Shizune waited, counting to three. Sure enough, the sound of shattering clay could be heard as Tsunade threw her cup against the wall. Swiveling in her chair, Shizue pulled one of the spares out of a drawer and set it on her desk. And here she was hoping it would be a quiet morning.

"When I get her back here, I'm going to kill her for sheer stupidity! I'm not even her damned mother!"

Shizune arched an eyebrow. It seemed as if it was going to be a full on rampage today, but it wasn't quite time to intervene. Even she wasn't stupid enough to go in there until Tsunade calmed down enough to stop shouting at no one and actually direct her anger towards a person. And whoever that person wound up being usually was sent to the hospital afterwards. Automatically, she pulled a sheet of paper out to write a note to the local glassmaker, requesting a new sheet of glass for the Hokage's office window. She finished the note, then turned her head to stare at the door. That was weird. By now there definitely would have been the sound of shattering glass, followed by the scream of whatever hapless soul was unlucky enough to be wandering by when Tsunade's chair landed on them. Had something truly serious happened?

She had just mustered up the courage to leave her desk and go see what was going on when the door slammed open to reveal Tsunade, hands clenched into tight fists, brown eyes glaring daggers. The strangest part was that Shizune could almost swear she saw tears glimmering in the Hokage's eyelashes.

"Shizune!" she shouted. "Summon my ANBU. And the gate guards that worked last night. And the Inuzukas. I need the village's best trackers, now!"

"Tsunade-sama, did something happen?" Shizune asked calmly, still wondering why the window was intact if the Hokage was this angry.

"Never mind, I'll do it my damn self!" she shouted impatiently before stomping down the hallway. More curses of "damned, stupid moron. If I'd have known she'd act this idiotic, I never would have trained her. If she isn't dead when I get my hands on her, she'll wish she was!" drifted back to Shizune as she stared after the blonde kunoichi. Swallowing hard, Shizune prayed Tsunade was talking about someone else.

Worried and more than a little curious, she then picked up the replacement cup and walked into Tsunade's office to clean up the remains of the old one. As she stepped into the room, she was surprised to see a very large vase of white lilies sitting in the middle of the Hokage's desk. Beside it was a bottle of expensive sake and a note. Was this the cause of Tsunade's fit? A gift?

Unable to stop herself from prying, Shizune put the cup down and picked up the note. Unfolding it, she read the message, her eyes widening when she reached the name at the bottom.

_Shishou,_

_Don't throw your chair out the window. Remember, the elders limited the maintenance funds, so you can only do that once a week. Enjoy the sake and have a Happy Mother's Day._

_Haruno Sakura_

Shizune dropped the note and took a step back in disbelief. No wonder Tsunade was going off. She had been so upset when Sakura went missing, and was even worse when she learned she was with the Akatsuki. Now that she knew she was nearby, Tsunade would stop at nothing to get her back. Taking a deep breath and clearing her head, Shizune immediately began damage control. She picked up the pieces of the broken cup and threw them away. Then she moved the new cup and the vase of flowers to the bookcase in the corner before checking Tsunade's desk for anymore breakable objects. Finding none, she went through the office, removing all the sake she could find and locking it up in her own desk. She finished just as the first wave of ANBU started arriving, accompanied by Tsunade, who still looked rather enraged. As they made their way into the office and shut the door, Shizune said a small prayer for Sakura's safety, whether or not she was actually found.

The whole village was scoured, along with the surrounding woods, but other than three more sets of gifts, nothing was found. The gate guards were reprimanded, as well as all of the ANBU on patrol that night. It was said that the punishments handed to them were the worst ones in decades, and the rest of the villagers sighed in relief that it wasn't them. Two days later, the Hokage called off the search, and Morino Ibiki suffered an embarrassing trip to the hospital when he happened to be walking by the Hokage Tower only to have a chair drop on him from out of nowhere.

It wasn't until a week after the Mother's Day incident that someone noticed the single white rose lying in front of the main gate to the old Uchiha compound. By the time it was found, the flower had already died, its leaves withered and the perfectly shaped petals browned by the beginnings of decay.

The End

A/N: I hope this stupid thing is right now. Sorry for it being crappy earlier. Now, everybody go give your mom/mommy-figure a hug. : )


	6. Memorial Day

Summer Angels

The sun was hanging low over the sky when the Akatsuki arrived at the Waterfall Country's annual fair. It was set up in a large field, several miles from Takagakure. As they filtered through the gate in pairs, the group blended in with the civilians around them, their telltale cloaks left behind for a little time off. Everyone was there, with the exception of Zetsu, who said he would rather suffer a case of blight than go. Pein and Konan led the way, the latter decked out in a black leather corset and skirt. The appreciative gazes that went her way were soon dropped as their leader wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He cut an more imposing figure than normal in his black duster and leather pants, his biker boots giving him more height.

The gate attendant was fooled into letting them pass with a mild genjutsu, compliments of Itachi, which pleased Kakuzu to no end. The price of everything here was ridiculous, and the more money they could save, the better. The chuunin hired for security eyed them warily, but said nothing as they passed by. Their chakra signatures gave them away as shinobi, but as long as they didn't start trouble, it wasn't worth the guards' meager pay to turn them away and wind up in an altercation they couldn't win. Everyone went their separate ways once they reached the main thoroughfare, agreeing to meet back at the gate at midnight when the fair closed.

Grabbing a program from a stack at the information table nearby, Tenten thumbed through it until she found the times for the various specialty shows. Itachi stood next to her, his eyes roaming the crowd in seeming disinterest. His hair was down, framing his face and hanging loosely over his shoulders. Tenten eyed him in her peripheral, mentally drooling over the picture he made in his skull and cross bones t-shirt and low cut jeans. She felt absolutely plain beside him in her tan capris and white halter top. Then he met her gaze and gave her a small smile, reminding her that he was as practical as she was, and would not be swayed from her by the prettier girls that strolled by, showing more skin than was sensible and flashing him appreciative smiles when he caught their attention.

"Hey, they have a liver-striped white tiger. It says here that there are only a few left in the world. Do you want to go see it?" she asked.

"Sure."

They weaved their way through the crowd, heading in the direction the brochure indicated. As they walked, Itachi laced his fingers with hers, absently running the pad of his thumb along the side of her hand. Several times he had to pull her out of someone's way when they walked past, then suddenly changed direction. After about ten minutes of walking, they made it to the tiger pen.

The large cats were lounging around on larger boxes, painted in bright shades of blue and yellow. There were a pair of regular tigers, a white tiger with black stripes, and in the very center of the pen, the white tiger with liver stripes. Tenten's eyes widened when she spotted him. His fur looked soft and thick, and his stripes looked like they had been poured on with molten gold that had aged and faded with time. Opening his mouth, he gave a lazy yawn as he gazed back, unimpressed with his growing crowd of admirers.

"Oh, I wish he would come closer." Tenten whispered.

She was so busy watching the cats that she missed the slight smirk on Itachi's face and the fact that his eyes were no longer a dark brown, but blood red. The white tiger turned his head and stared in her direction for several moments before standing up and with a swish of his long tail, jumped off his blue box. With long, powerful strides, he stalked over to them, stopping just on the other side of the black iron bars to sit down. Before anyone had time to stop her, Tenten stuck her arm through the bars and buried her fingers in the thick fur on his cheek. She petted him for a few seconds before withdrawing her hand and looking up at Itachi, a huge smile on her face.

"Wow, I can't believe you just did that. He must really like you." a man beside of them said.

Noticing their prized cat a little too close to the onlookers, the handler started over towards them, intent on intervening should someone think themselves brave enough to touch him and wind up losing a hand. Before he could get there, Itachi pulled Tenten back into the crowd, and they walked over to a cotton candy stand and sat down. Tenten still had a smile on her face.

"That was incredible, Itachi. Did you put him in a genjutsu?"

"Yes."

Her eyes grew soft. "Thank you. But you shouldn't have used your Sharingan for something like that. You'll give yourself a headache."

"It was worth it."

They spent the next couple of hours walking around, playing a few games, riding the Ferris wheel, and enjoying the rest of the shows the fair had to offer. Three hours before midnight, Tenten noticed that Itachi had become more withdrawn than usual. Figuring he had given himself a headache as she predicted, she led him out of the fairgrounds and to a grassy hill a little ways away from all the noise. It was a good place to watch the fireworks they were going to have at eleven, and they could rest until it was time to meet up with the others.

Plopping down in the grass, Tenten sighed, glad to be off her feet herself. Itachi sat beside her, looking around before relaxing. They sat in the darkness in silence, enjoying the breeze that blew past. Tenten noticed a little hollow off to her right. In the moonlight she could pick out the silhouette of what looked like a very old, overgrown cemetery. The grass had grown almost as tall as the headstones, which were either crumbled and broken, or weathered so badly no trace of a name or date could be seen on any of them.

She absently wondered who was buried there, and if any of them were shinobi. How they lived, how they died, if anyone came to visit after they were gone. But it didn't make her sad to think about them. Any lingering remorse that might have haunted the place had gone long ago. In fact, it looked like the perfect spot to go on a sunny afternoon when you wanted to be alone and think.

Turning back to Itachi, she scooted closer to him and lay her head on his shoulder. Her exhaustion was catching up with her, and she couldn't wait to get back to the base and get some sleep. He wrapped an arm around her, chasing away the light chill that came with the settling of the dew. She must have dozed off at some point, because the next thing she knew, the popping of fireworks startled her awake. Sitting up, she stretched, smiling at the bright colors falling sedately through the sky. They watched them for several minutes, until a dark shape flew right through the middle of a large burst, barely visible amidst the bright yellow and orange.

Jumping to her feet, Tenten pointed to it. "Hey, isn't that...?"

"Yes. We'd better go." Itachi said, standing as well.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"A corn dog and a raspberry slushie please." Ino ordered with a smile. She didn't normally indulge in such greasy food, but they had been walking around for hours, and she was starving.

"Coming right up." the skinny teenager on the other side of the window replied, his eyes traveling over her face in obvious appreciation.

Ignoring his stare, Ino took her food and moved off to the side so Kakuzu could order what he wanted and pay for both of them. He didn't get anything, and when the vendor told him how much Ino's order was, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm not paying that much for flavored ice and a hot dog on a stick." he replied.

"That's how much it costs. If you don't like it, take it up with the manager." the boy said.

"Fine. Go and fetch him."

"He's on break right now, sir."

Ino took a long drink of her slushie and prepared herself for the show to come. If it had been anyone else, she probably would be embarrassed and try to persuade them to just pay up and move on. But this was Kakuzu. And when it came to money, Kakuzu was not persuaded to do anything. Plus, she had seen this same scene so many times, it was nearly routine wherever they went.

Spotting a bench close by, she sat down and adjusted her broad-brimmed white straw hat. Her light blue baby doll dress was on the short side, so she crossed her legs, flexing her toes in her white sandals. Taking a small bite from her corn dog, she watched as the line to the snack stand started to grow.

"I don't care if he's on the moon. I said to go fetch him. Now." Kakuzu was saying. The kid was starting to look intimidated as Kakuzu got so close to the window, his face was nearly inside. Finally he relented, and exited out the back side of the stand. When he left, a few of the customers moved on, but the majority stayed, their patience wearing thin. The manager arrived a few minutes later, and Ino watched the people behind Kakuzu shift and sigh loudly as he began a heated debate about unfair business practices.

Ino finished her corn dog just as the manager gave up and let Kakuzu have her food for free just to shut him up and get him out of the way. With what she knew was a smirk under his linen mask, he stalked over the the bench and sat down beside her. Finishing off her drink, she gazed at him from the corner of her eye. Unlike the rest of the Akatsuki, who flaunted their badass looks with pride, Kakuzu looked much more sedate in the tan trench coat he wore whenever he wasn't in his cloak. With his matching fedora and black slacks, he looked every inch the businessman he was. Classy was the word that popped into her head. And with her sitting beside him, they looked like a couple straight out of an old mystery movie. Or, more likely, a mafia movie. She found the image quite romantic.

Her musing was interrupted by the appearance of one of the guys that had been in line behind them. Tall and muscular, with both arms sleeved with tattoos, he might have looked intimidating if she didn't know she was sitting beside someone who could have him dead in a matter of seconds if he wished. "Hey, asshole!" he yelled at Kakuzu. "If you're so damned stingy that you can't even pay for a corn dog, maybe you ought to just leave. Everyone here is trying to have fun, not stand behind you while you take forever fucking arguing."

Having said his piece, the man turned to walk off, missing the hardening of Kakuzu's eyes as he stood up. Not wanting actual bloodshed to ruin her nice evening, Ino reached up and laid a hand on his arm. "Sit back down. I've got this."

Kakuzu obeyed, and Ino handed him her empty cup. "Hey jerk!" she yelled. The man turned around to glare at her just as she lifted both hands, framing his face with her fingers. "Ninpo: Mind Transfer Jutsu."

The technique took hold, and Ino felt her body slump as she entered his mind. His lips lifted as she smirked, and turning him around, she looked for a good method of revenge. She hadn't gone far when she spotted a face painting booth. Perfect. Standing in line, she waited until it was his turn, then pulled out his wallet and purchased the most expensive design, little pink and glitter airbrushed butterflies. She had to suppress her laughter so his face would stay still as they were applied on both cheeks. Fifteen minutes later and she was off again.

The next thing she did was make him play the ring toss game, where she won the biggest purple teddy bear they had. Then she finished emptying his wallet at a jewelry stand, where she bought the gaudiest bracelets and necklaces she could find. With him wearing all of them, she made her way to the busiest section of the fair. There she stripped him down to his underwear, and, still clutching the purple bear, took off down the thoroughfare.

"Come to sexy!" she yelled, as he reached the nearest group of people. Then she released the jutsu mid-stride and returned to her body. When she sat up, Kakuzu gave her a questioning look. "Just watch." she told him. "You're going to love this."

Less than five minutes later, two of the shinobi working security rounded the corner, with Ino's hapless victim between them. He had his clothes in one hand, the bear in the other, and his face was so red you almost couldn't see the butterflies painted on his skin. His bracelets jingled as he passed, and she couldn't hold it in any longer. Clutching Kakuzu's arm, she burst into peals of laughter. Kakuzu started chuckling as well. Looking over at them, the man shouted. "You did this, didn't you?"

Giving the shinobi a bewildered look, Ino just shook her head. The man was escorted out, still yelling accusations back at them. He was quickly drowned out by the start of the fireworks. Ino smiled as they lit up the night sky overhead. Jumping to her feet, she grabbed Kakuzu by the arm. "C'mon! Let's go find a better place to watch!"

Dragging him along behind her, Ino headed to an open patch of ground. She suddenly stopped and pointed up at the largest burst of color. "Hey, isn't that...?"

Kakuzu rolled his eyes. "That moron just has to show off."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Kisame's smug grin widened as the final metal duck fell over in a silent demise, the latest victim to his skill with a water gun. Once again, the sirens and lights went off in the booth, declaring to the world that they had another winner. With a shake of his head, the gray-haired man working the stand handed him the very last beta fish he had, a dark purple male. "Here ya go. But I still think you're nuts, son." he said.

"Not the first time I've heard that." came the reply from the shark ninja.

With a nod of thanks, Kisame accepted the water-filled plastic bag and turned to where Hinata was standing beside him. Handing the fish off to her, he watched as she placed it carefully beside twenty-five identical bags in the kiddie wagon they had rented more than an hour ago. "Alright, let's go find a quiet place to sit down." he said as they headed away from the game stand, wagon in tow.

Walking in the opposite direction of the rides, Kisame led the way through the thick crowd, his height and bulk making people instinctively sway away from them. The heavy muscles in his chest and arms didn't hurt the intimidation factor either. They were more than obvious beneath his fitted black T-shirt, and the long-sleeved mesh he wore underneath hugged the visible curves of his biceps. His eyes automatically scanned his surroundings, made easier by the fact that he could see over nearly everyone's head.

Glancing behind, he watched as Hinata stuck as close to him as possible without actually touching him. She had the handle to the wagon in one hand, and the other wrapped firmly in the hem of her navy tank top. She gave the fabric a twist every so often, usually when she noticed someone looking her way. After making sure he was still walking in a straight line, he glanced back at her again with an amused smile. She loved crowds of strangers about as much as he loved the desert. He didn't really understand why though. He was the one that stuck out like a sore thumb. Beside him, she was the picture of normalcy. Only her pale lavender eyes gave away the fact that she was different from the civilians milling around them. That, and her chakra.

The crowd thinned somewhat as they made their way toward the less popular attractions. The animal tents loomed in the darkness ahead of them, the interiors lit up with a soft, inviting glow. There were several agricultural displays, as well as an empty ring. Now that there was more room to walk, Hinata pulled up alongside Kisame, the water in her charges' bags swaying as the wagon veered behind her. Kisame's eyes were drawn to her profile, and he let his body do the walking as his mind kept him occupied with far more interesting things, like his total awareness of Hinata and the sweet smile she was giving him as their eyes met briefly.

As she turned her head forward again, his eyes dropped to the swell of her breast, barely visible beneath her tank top. A lock of her hair had found its way over her shoulder to lay across her chest, and he had to resist the temptation to reach over and remove it for her. If he did, then they would have to leave early, and the rest of the Akatsuki would be looking for them when they didn't show up at midnight, which meant a less than pleased Leader-sama when they were found. Which could be very, very bad. So he avoided an early death by letting his eyes wander away from that disastrous lock of hair to follow the curve of her snug tank top until he reached her waist. Her black, knee-length skirt floated around her as she walked, accentuating her curves in a way that was still more than a little distracting. Which was proved moments later when he found himself in a head on collision with a farm tractor that had been parked under a display tent.

"Damn, that shit sucked." he swore in embarrassment, rubbing his neck as he separated himself from the unforgiving metal.

Hinata suppressed a giggle as she came to a halt beside the tent. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Then Kisame noticed a shock of red hair on the other side of the tent. "Well, well, if it isn't one of our own."he said, hoping to redirect her attention from his painful snafu.

Hinata followed the line of his gaze to see Sasori standing beside a hay mower, hands clasped behind his back as he studied the curve of the menacing-looking tines at the back of the machine. She thought he looked rather cute in his lightweight black turtleneck and jeans. Not as sexy as Kisame, of course, but she was sure that by the end of the night he would be turning down offers by lonely girls looking for some after-hours entertainment.

Giving the wagon a tug, she made her way over to him. Kisame followed, glaring at anyone who dared to look his way with so much as a hint of amusement. Sasori turned at their approach, and noting the wagon, raised an eyebrow.

"Kisame, are you planning on taking all of these fish with you? You know what Leader-sama will say."

"They're for my substitution jutsu." Kisame countered.

"Two dozen fish for a jutsu that you might use once a month, if that often? I doubt it would be worth the effort to keep them when you could just use a fish native to whatever body of water you happen to be standing on."

"There are twenty-six fish, and I'll use whatever I want to for my jutsu, Puppet Boy." Kisame snapped, still irritated at himself for being clumsy.

"Suit yourself. I don't have to deal with it." Sasori replied, dismissing him.

"Were you w-working on something, Sasori-san?" Hinata asked, trying to ease the sudden tension between the two.

Sasori nodded. "This tractor has an interesting design for its blades. I was thinking about using the pattern to modify one of my puppet's weapons." he explained.

"I see."

A sudden popping noise from behind them had all three turning to watch as the darkened sky was lit up by a burst of fireworks, in a brilliant spray of orange and yellow. Hinata smiled softly. "W-wow. I wonder where Deidara is, he'd h-hate to miss this." Hinata said.

"He spotted the tent where they were preparing the fireworks as soon as we got here. He is probably still there, boring them to death with his rants about art while trying to teach them the right way to set off fireworks." Sasori replied, gaining a surprised glance from Kisame over the unusual irritation in his voice. They must have gotten into another disagreement that, once again, went unresolved.

Moving to stand at the edge of the tent to get a better view of the sky, Hinata watched as another stream of color rose into the air, mushrooming into bright sparks of blue and purple. Just underneath it, she could make out a large shape swaying between the falling ashes.

"And there he is." Sasori snorted as he came to stand beside her.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura opened her eyes and brushed her hair out of her face as the world slowly ground to a halt around her. She turned her head to look at Hidan, who was sitting beside her, a grin on his face. Pushing the safety bar away from them, she stood up, smoothing the skirt on her light green sundress before she climbed down to the solid earth below her. Swaying a little as she walked, she made her way to the exit gate, Hidan close behind her.

Once they were out of the way, she looked at the short line back at the entrance. "That was fun. Want to go again?"

"Sure."

As soon as Hidan answered her, a loud hiss erupted from the motor beneath the seat they were just occupying. "Sorry, folks" the operator announced "ride's closed until we get that fixed."

A discontent murmur rose from the line, and as they started to disperse, Sakura heard more than one complaint about waiting around for nothing. Hidan crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, damn. So much for that."

"What do you want to do next?" she asked. "We've ridden everything except the Ferris wheel. Want to do that before they stop the rides for the night?"

"I don't see what's so fucking exciting about going around in two slow ass circles."

"C'mon, it'll be fun." Sakura pleaded.

"Fine, fine."

Hidan slung an arm casually over her bare shoulders as they started away from the Tilt-a-Whirl and towards the brightly lit beacon at the very end of the fairgrounds. As they walked, Sakura reached up and laced her fingers with his, leaning into his side. The soft fabric of his black silk shirt slid against her inside arm, revealing more of his sculpted stomach than was already showing between his unbuttoned front. It might not have covered much, but at least he was wearing a shirt. She half-expected him to walk out of the base in nothing but his black leather pants and boots. Life's little surprises.

Another one of those surprises came in the form of Tobi, who was waving at them frantically from his perch on a wild-looking red horse as it slowly made its circuit on the merry-go-round. "Sakura-chan! Hidan-san!" he called to them as they passed the ride.

"Just keep walking." Hidan murmured.

Sakura inclined her head to the masked ninja with a smile as his steed made its way to the other side and out of sight. "He's just having fun." she defended.

"He's a fucking fruit cake."

They continued on in comfortable silence until Hidan pulled her to a sudden halt in front of a set of bathrooms. "Wait here a second. I have to take a piss."

"Hurry, or we'll have to wait in line forever."

Without replying, Hidan disentangled himself and headed toward the bathrooms. Not wanting to just stand there in the way, Sakura moved to sit on a bench beside a cotton candy stand and wait. No sooner had she settled down than a sharp whistle from the other side of the makeshift street caught her attention. Pein and Konan were standing there, one covered in fluorescent glow-in-the-dark rings while his partner carried several boxes of fudge and other desserts.

Sakura stood and made her way over to them, greeting them with a small smile. "Having fun?"

Pein nodded and Konan returned her grin. "Yeah, we were just about to go on the Ferris wheel before they closed."

"Us too." Hidan answered as he rejoined Sakura, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Good, we'll have someone to talk to while we wait in line." Konan said.

After weaving through the crowd of people for nearly ten minutes, the foursome finally found themselves at the back of the line. Hidan cursed at the length of it, stretching nearly twenty yards down the street. Several people in front of him cringed, and others gave him dirty looks. He ignored them all, and instead listened to the kunoichi talk about everything from a pair of thigh high sandals they both saw to whether or not Takagakure was allied with Iwagakure.

They made it to the front of the line just as the operator announced that this would be the last trip for the night. Happy that they didn't get turned away, Sakura led Hidan into an empty seat. Pein and Konan stayed behind to wait for another basket. Little by little, they were slowly lifted into the air. When they were high enough, Sakura peered over the side to scan the fairgrounds. The people below her milled about like ants at a tiny circus. Then she grinned as she made out the taller figure of Kisame just before he disappeared beneath a tent at the other end.

"I just saw Kisame." she told Hidan.

"Hmm..." he breathed into her hair as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Turning in his embrace to face him, Sakura smiled softly. He was staring at her, his eyelids half covering his violet irises as his mouth parted slightly. Her breath caught in her throat as heat curled in her stomach. She mirrored his look as he lifted one hand to tangle his fingers in her hair. Leaning down, he captured her lips in a soft kiss that sent her head spinning.

She was so wrapped up in him that she missed the start of the fireworks. Orange and yellow bursts of color exploded behind them, turning to purple and blue moments later. It was only when she heard the soft woosh of wings that she broke away and looked up. Above them, and covering the sky over the fairgrounds, were hundreds of tiny clay dragonflies. In the center of the mass was Deidara, drifting lazily on one of his clay owls. Sakura watched as he lifted his hand and concentrated his chakra.

As one, the dragonflies exploded, filling the sky with rainbows of color. It was so intense that for a moment the heavens beyond were blanked out. Then the various colors began streaking earthward, toward the awed crowd below. It was dark for several moments, then a second explosion was heard, and Sakura looked back up to see the red cloud of the Akatsuki in the sky, lit up with little sparks of red.

Shouts sounded from below, and Sakura guessed that Deidara had been found out, and the security were trying to find a way to apprehend him. Not that they could. Turning back to Hidan, she leaned up and placed another kiss on his lips. "See," she said with a grin "I told you the Ferris wheel was fun."

The End


	7. Father's Day

Patriarch Angel

The steady rhythm of the eternal rain beat against the steel and concrete fortress that was Amegakure, occasionally softening its nighttime song as it landed on fabric umbrellas and shiny trash bags sitting neglected on the street corners. Slower footsteps overlaid the music as people traversed the sidewalks, unhindered by the weather they had lived with their entire lives. Halogen lamps lit the way, a yellow haze in the surrounding darkness.

A mere whisper in this thrum of life, Pein's Deva Path wove in and out of the foot traffic, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. Few actually saw him, and none questioned his presence whenever he ambled into the light, hair wet and piercings glinting. The other paths were at rest, as he should have been, but Nagato had been feeling agitated lately, and so had sent him out into the heart of the city.

It didn't happen often, but when it did the chakra-channeled need drove him to the darkest parts of Ame's underbelly, where the changes the Akatsuki strove for had the least effect. When the violence and mistrust of the shinobi life began to wear on him he came here to remind himself of why he did what he did. That he wasn't the true evil of the world. _That_ lay waiting in the gutter, growling with an empty stomach and screaming with a hoarse voice for a fulfillment that never came…

Passing a familiar restaurant that was already closed for the night, he turned down the alley behind.

It was this same voice that filled the dark memories of his early childhood. Neighbors screaming before the telltale sounds of physical blows, slurring drunks stumbling over themselves on their way to their next bottle, sugar coated words behind twisted smiles trying to coax trust from a wary child. And the dead… victims of war everywhere, the ones who would care enough to bury and mourn them just as dead. But the external desperation was nothing compared to the emptiness inside. The hunger, the need for just one day of better things, an end to feeling hollow. It was a world of dying souls in empty husks, too fixated on the path before them to look up and see the abyss waiting to swallow them.

Solid pavement beneath his sandaled feet morphed into cracked fragments as he reached his destination. The buildings above suffered from the same neglect, bricks and broken glass littering the allies between. The stench of wet garbage permeated the air, a rotten smell that stayed with you no matter how far you managed to get away from it. Then came the people, standing or sitting on the street, looking for any opportunity to fill their need, or unwilling to return to their personal hell disguised as a home.

Pein wandered through street after street for most of the night, not really seeing any one particular person or thinking of anything more than his immediate surroundings. Dawn was streaking the sky when he stopped in the middle of a block of buildings, sensing the end of his impromptu journey. He was about to turn around when the sound of quiet sobbing reached his ears. He knew the hauntingly familiar sound well enough to know that it was a child, and he was mourning a loss that went to the bottom of his soul.

Drawn onward, he found himself standing beside an apartment building, broken and boarded windows glaring down on him. A boy of five or six years sat hunched over a pathetic square of yard next to the front steps, digging up the earth with his bare hands. His black hair was tangled and looked like it hadn't seen a wash in ages. His clothes were filthy and too small, with dark brownish black smudges replacing the original blue of the fabric. Beside him sat a dirty sheaf of newspaper, rolled around a small brown mouse. Its head was smashed flat, as if it had been caught in a trap set for a much larger rodent.

Completely silent, Pein walked up beside the boy. It wasn't until he had knelt down that he was noticed. Turning angry, swollen eyes on him, the child glared at him for his intrusion. They were hollow and haunted in a gut-wrenching way that reminded him of the first time he looked into the mirror Konan had dragged into their hideout.

"Go away." he commanded in a tight voice.

Pein stared him down for several seconds. "No," he said "I'll help you with this."

The child ignored him then, turning back to his task. Either he didn't see Pein as a threat to him, or was too upset to care. Leaning forward, weight balanced on the balls of his feet, the notorious leader of the Akatsuki helped dig a grave for a mouse. He scooped up a large handful of the wet earth and set it to the side. Two more scoopfuls and the hole was more than big enough. Very gently, the boy lifted up the newspaper and set the mouse in the hole. The dirt was pushed back in place and tamped down, a tuft of scraggly grass sticking out of one side. They kneeled in silence for several minutes before Pein placed a hand on the boy's head.

"Are you alone, child?"

Swiping at the tears streaking through his dirty face, he met his gaze levelly. "I am now."

"I was alone once, just like you. I lost my only friend, and had no one."

"What happened to you?"

"An angel came and saved me."

"A real angel?"

"Yes. Would you like to meet her?"

The boy grew thoughtful for a moment before he nodded. Standing, Pein scooped him up in his arms and started back down the street. He didn't protest, and no one questioned them as they passed, the back streets rapidly emptying with the coming light. The boy weighed next to nothing, and Pein could feel his bones protruding just beneath the skin. He also noticed a rattle whenever he breathed. A few more weeks on the street and he was sure the child would be just another forgotten casualty of the desperateness around him.

The base was already alive with activity when he stepped into the building. He sensed Konan's presence in the kitchen with Sakura, and the smell of breakfast being prepared floated through the hall. Ino, Tenten and Hinata were waiting for him in the common room, and they rose from the couch when he entered. Ino stepped forward, a cheery smile on her face.

"Konan-sama told us we were having a guest this morning. I have a bath ready, and Hinata and Tenten volunteered to go buy some clothes as soon as he arrived." She turned her attention to the boy in his arms. "Hey there. I'm Ino. Would you like to get cleaned up while my friends finish cooking breakfast?"

He took in the three women standing there before giving Pein a look that was half bewildered and half betrayed. "You didn't tell me there was more than one. How many do you have?"

"Five."

"Five." He repeated the word as if it were unfathomable. Then he struggled to get down until Pein released him, and walked over to Ino. "I'm ready."

She took his hand in hers, inwardly grimacing at how bony his wrist was, before leading him toward the door. Hinata and Tenten watched him go, sizing him up so they could get the proper clothing for him, before giving Pein a puzzled look. Surely he hadn't told the child he was taking him to a building full of ninja. That would probably have scared him more than anything.

"Excuse me, Pein-sama, but what do you have five of?" Tenten asked.

The corner of his lips lifted before he turned to leave the room, his voice floating over his shoulder before he disappeared from sight.

"Five angels."

Tenten smiled and Hinata lightly blushed before they looked at each other.

"Have you ever seen him act this way?" Hinata whispered after she was sure he was gone.

"No. I think our untouchable leader has a soft spot for kids."

Nearly an hour later Pein found himself in the kitchen, watching the now clean and dressed child being coddled by the kunoichi crowded around him. Ino had coaxed him into a relaxed state while she was bathing him, and was able to read his mind without him realizing her intrusion. She found out that his name was Haru and that both his parents were murdered while he hid under his bed. They were the only family he had, and he hid again when the authorities came and the bodies were removed, which was why he was on his own.

Sakura was currently giving him an examination while he ate, cleverly disguised as 'angel magic tricks', her face struggling to stay pleasant as she worked on the effects of malnourishment and neglect. While Haru was amused with Sakura's glowing hands, he had insisted that Konan sit beside him, being the angel that 'saved people and had real angel wings and everything'. She stroked his inky black hair that was growing long as she exchanged a soft look with Pein. While this was the first child the other kunoichi had seen come through the doors with him, Haru wasn't the only orphan he had rescued from the streets.

They had a house in one of Ame's better districts, bought and kept secret from even Madara, and run by a young couple that Pein had hand selected for the job. There were already three children there, two in a regular academy, the third just learning to read and write. Pein had insisted that shinobi training be discouraged, wanting them to have as normal a life as possible after the hardships they had already suffered. They didn't visit often, not wanting either party to get attached should something happen, but she knew he kept tabs on what was happening in their lives. After Haru recovered from the trauma she knew he was suffering, he would have a ready-made family waiting on him.

She watched from the corner of her eye as the peaceful expression left the Deva Path's expression and he moved from the doorway to disappear down the hallway. Recognizing the disturbed look, her own joy was replaced with concern. Leaving Haru to Sakura and his breakfast, she stood and followed after him. He was well ahead of her, and did not turn as he entered their office, leaving the door ajar to let her know he was aware of her nonetheless. Locking it behind her, she activated the seals to ensure their privacy before following him into the secret chamber at the back. After being awake all night, Pein went to rest his body, leaving her alone with Nagato.

He was awake, staring at her through his curtain of bright red hair. His ribs rose and fell rhythmically beneath his grayish skin in time with the gentle hiss of air moving through tubes. Stepping up to the machine that kept him alive, Konan gave him a small smile.

"He will be just fine, Nagato-kun."

His silver eyes roamed over her through the silence that followed. It took him several moments to find his voice, unused for a long time.

"When will it ever be enough?"

"You saved his life today."

"As you saved mine. But this world will only keep breeding the conditions that made him if something isn't done soon."

"You're doing the best you can."

"It isn't enough, my angel."

Konan's face softened as she stepped up on the edge of the machine so she could reach him. Gently wrapping her arms around his emaciated shoulders, she embraced him, laying her cheek against his. "You're so strong. Some men don't even care about what happens to their own children, but you have never forgotten what it was like to be without a protector. Thank you."

Sufficiently distracted from his brooding, Nagato's voice softened. "You looked very happy with him."

"I was. Shall we have a few more?" she teasingly asked.

He gave her a rare smile before turning his face into hers. "If that's what you want."

XXXXXX

A/N: I was in the mood for a little tragedy when I started this one, but wasn't sure where it should go from the beginning. It definitely wasn't what I envisioned for my Father's Day fic, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. :)


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